The Last Wish
by literatekatana
Summary: "Now then," Newt said contentedly, gazing down at his great-niece. "What's this about a 'last wish?" Sticking out her bottom lip, the little girl replied, "Mama says that when someone dies, the last thing they say is their last wish, and you have to do everything in your power to fulfill it." (Prequel to There's an American in the Dungeons! AU story, OC oriented) - COMPLETE for now
1. Chapter 1 - Ramble On

Prologue

 _Summer, 1985_

Headmaster Agilbert Fontaine smiled across his desk at the gentlewoman. He could visualize the day she'd been sorted into Pukwudgie, and received her very own wand, right here within the castle, as her own daughter and son had done. "Your granddaughter's name was put down the day she was born, along with your other grandchildren. Why do you ask?"  
Queenie Kowalski wrung her hands anxiously. "She turns seven today, and she's been declaring for the past year that she wants to go to Hogwarts."  
The Headmaster inclined his head towards her, trying to understand what this had to with her sudden meeting with him. He was newly appointed to the position of Headmaster over Ilvermorny, and was just getting his sea-legs, as it were. "Young people have vivid imaginations," he commented lightly.  
"Yes sir, but it's more than that. She was born like me," Queenie pressed. "When I was at school here, I used to blurt out the answers in History of Magic before Professor Potter had a chance to ask the question. We don't even have to speak to each other, she and I-it's all in here." She touched a hand to her temple. "I'm just worried that she'll convince herself so deeply that she's going to Hogwarts that she'll deny any connection leading to this school. She's stronger in the mind than she knows what to deal with."  
"You said she was turning seven, today?"  
"Yes! And that's when magic is supposed to reveal itself in her but she's already shown more than anything I've ever seen in a kid!" Queenie felt herself getting excited and took a moment to calm herself. "Please, Professor Fontaine, isn't there anything you can do to get her into Hogwarts?"  
Agilbert considered her request for a polite amount of time, and then, "I'm afraid not, Mrs. Kowalski. You see, your granddaughter has no real connection to Hogwarts, while she has every key to get her into Ilvermorny. Even if I put forth her name to Albus Dumbledore, there are numerous affairs that must be sorted and all must be handled by someone qualified to speak on behalf of your granddaughter," he explained, using his hands to gesture as he spoke.  
Queenie frowned at his words, not seeing the problem. "Speak on her behalf? Like her parents? Or me?"  
"No, you misunderstand; you'd need someone from the foreign government, in this case, the Ministry of Magic in Britain, to sponsor your daughter. I don't believe their new blockhead of a Minister would have any inclination to sponsor a headstrong American from New York, who just managed to blow up her father's car."  
Queenie sat back in the armchair, defeated. "So that's that, then? I have to help her accept Ilvermorny as her future?"  
Agilbert Fontaine held up his index finger. "Not necessarily her entire future. If she is as headstrong as you say, she might be able to apply herself, if she's dedicated to her schoolwork."  
Queenie sat up in her chair again. "You mean it?"  
"I wouldn't mention it otherwise," the headmaster replied, spreading his hands. "But let's not tell her this straightaway. Let her try to accept life at Ilvermorny first. I think she may find that this school is far more enchanting than your brother-in-law would have her believe." He gave the woman sitting before him a knowing smile. Queenie grinned.  
"Thank you, Professor Fontaine."  
"No my dear, thank you for visiting with me." The new headmaster rose to his feet and walked his former student to the door. "I always enjoy seeing a familiar face. Give my best to Jacob, if you will."  
A look of surprise and softness touched Mrs. Kowalski' face. "Of course. Goodbye, Professor."  
Headmaster Fontaine watched her go, then allowed his office door to close behind her. He then crossed the rectangular room in three strides, pulling down a scroll from one of the higher shelves. "Class of 1996, yes, there you are."  
Among the list of names of seven year olds across North America, eagerly awaiting the day they would step into this castle, one name stood out among the rest.  
"Julianne Queenie Kowalski," Headmaster Fontaine whispered as he tapped the name. "Ilvermorny will be waiting for you."

* * *

 **Chapter 1  
**

 _Ramble On_

The city apartment building was hardly anything to brag about, let alone look at; so none of the businessmen and women paid it any attention as they passed by on the street. Even the dealers and hoodlums would avoid the burnt and crumbling structure, almost as if it were haunted...or didn't exist.

For those who could actually see the building for what it really was, they could count themselves lucky that they were not inside at that very moment because someone had cranked the radio to its loudest volume. The townhome had been in the Strother family for half a century. It was used as a summer home until Amaya Strother moved to the upper east side sans graduation from the institute. There she settled and began to raise a family with her husband, David.

Amaya staggered out of the master bedroom and pounded on the door to her daughter's shared room. "Julianne! Julianne you open this door this very minute!"

Whether or not her eldest child could actually hear her over the static-ridden tune of Led Zeppelin, the door gave way and she was met with the smiling face of her youngest child, Seraphina. She was wearing the largest pair of fuzzy pink earmuffs Amaya had ever laid her eyes on, and apparently she couldn't hear the dangerously loud radio at all. "G'morning mommy!"

Amaya grimaced and gave her a peck on the forehead. Then, advancing into the room, she silenced the noisy contraption with a wave of her wand. "Mo-om!" her eldest whined.

"Juli-anne!"`Amaya replied in the same tone. "What have I told you about playing your music so loudly in the morning? Your little brother was asleep until that racket woke him up!" She gazed up at the top bunk where her eldest was sitting, pouring over a book from her father's uncle. Julianne looked like an ordinary 11 year old, but she was far from it. She had long, sand-colored hair and wide brown eyes. In certain light, they appeared purple, like Amaya's. But Julianne had trouble focusing her mind, and claimed that she could only truly focus when she had music playing. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Don't play Classic Rock before 10am? And I'm sorry, next time I'll find a showtune." Julianne declared, rolling her eyes.

"Mommy, what's for breakfast?" Little Seraphina was asking, tugging on Amaya's robe.

Amaya pointed at her eldest daughter. "I am not finished with you." And then she looked at her youngest and smiled warmly. "Lets see what we can enchant out of the pantry and into our stomachs." Seraphina giggled happily.

"MO-O-OM!" A boy's voice hollered from downstairs. "There's no clean silverware!"

As Amaya left the room, she called back to her eldest. "Julianne, please help Jacob set the table."

The girl jumped down from the top bunk, landed like an action hero on the floor, flipped her hair back from her face, and raced out of the room. Amaya looked around at the silenced radio and turned it off. _This girl needs a soundproof room._ She thought grimly.

"I want Polish pancakes," Seraphina pleaded. "Wiff apples."

Downstairs, Julianne and Jacob were singing the entire selection of Oliver Twist. They were very good, for a couple of preteenagers, and kept in tune with the help of banging forks and knives upon the kitchen table. They were just passing each other cups and plates when their mother and younger sister entered. Julianne had climbed up on the counter to hand the plates down to Jacob, who would place them on the table.

" _Just thinking of growing fat,_ " Julianne sang out, to which Jacob responded:

" _Our senses go reeling! One moment of knowing that_ -" at which point his sister joined in. " _Full. Up. Feeling!_ "

Their mother paused on the edge of scolding them into silence, but took a leaf out of their book instead. " _Food glorious food, what wouldn't we give for!_ "

Seraphina skipped to the end: "Glorious fooooood!" She clapped for herself as her mother set her in a chair. "We're having pancakes!"

"Again?" Julianne asked. "We had pancakes yesterday."

"Which is why you'll have leftovers today. Grab the powdered sugar while you're up there, dear, your father hid it on the high shelf again." Amaya patted her daughter's leg as Julianne maneuvered accordingly.

"I got the syrup!" Jacob proclaimed loudly, pointing at the table.

"Is daddy at work already?" Seraphina asked, before gnawing on the edge of her chair.

"Honey, don't do that, and yes-he left early this morning. But he loves each and every one of you. In fact-he left something for you." She descended on her children one by one and planted a wet raspberry on their cheeks. Mixed reactions were given, but at last they settled long enough to devour the reheated pancakes.

"Hey Jules," said Jacob to his sister as they washed the dishes afterwards. Their mother had to rush to dress for work so she left the cleanup in their capable hands.

" Hey Jake," replied Julianne, eying the radio in the corner. _Just a bit longer._

"Did you have the dream, yet?" He asked, accidentally squirting himself with dish soap. "Dagnabit."

"The one where you star in the Wizard of Oz?" She asked innocently.

"No."

"The one where the muggle president reveals he's a direct descendant of a Scourer and declares war on MACUSA?"

"No, but let's revisit that later."

"The one where Sera sprouts a tail?"

"No!" Jacob said firmly. "THE dream, the one you're supposed to get to tell you you're going to school this year!"

"Oh. Then no. Did the mail come yet?" She asked hopefully.

"No, and when it does it won't have an acceptance letter from Pigpimples either, so don't expect one." Jacob spelled out in a derogatory tone. It was very impressive for a ten year old to achieve such a thing.

"I'll expect one as long as you expect me to have that special dream." Julianne huffed, drying her hands with a towel. "Hurry up. We have to drop Sera off at Kindergarten."

Jacob paused, looking confused. "It's August."

"And it's her first day."

"Who starts Kindergarten in August?"

"Crazy No-Majs, that's who. Come on, we'll make her late-get dressed!" Julianne raced her brother up the stairs, where he veered off to his room to change out of his Spiderman pajamas. Julianne found Seraphina was already dressed, but was fidgeting with her shoelaces on the lower bunk. "Hey what's wrong? We have to leave in a few minutes."

"I don't wanna go." Seraphina mumbled. "I wanna stay with you and J-J."

"I know. I didn't want to go to No-Maj school either when mom made me go. But look at it this way, in just two years, your magic'll turn up, and you'll never have to go to No-Maj school again. Now-" she reached down and began to tie her sisters shoelaces for her. "-do you remember the rules about going to No-Maj school?"

Seraphina squinted, thinking hard. "It's called Kindergarten. Don't get upset with anyone in case you conjure accidental and premature magic. And don't tell anyone about witches and wizards."

"Good." Julianne nodded, moving on to the other shoe. "What else?"

"I have two older siblings who are homeschooled; they're very advanced." Julianne grinned at the slightly bored delivery. "My mom works in government and my dads a baker on Riv...river…"

"Rivington street, good, continue." Julianne urged, taking her sisters hand and leading her out of the room. "Don't forget your backpack."

Seraphina grabbed it quickly. "My favorite color is pink, and my favorite animal is a demiguise-"

"Whoa, whoa," Julianne held up a hand. "No-Majs don't have demiguise's. What's your alternative?"

Her sister gave a big sigh. "Dog."

"Atta girl!" Julianne patted her on the back. "Jacob! We're leaving without you!"

"I'm coming!" He slid down the stairs on the rail and skipped out the door Julianne had just opened. "Hurry up slow-pokes!"

Julianne closed and locked the house behind them, and as they left the bottom step, it appeared as daunting and uninviting as it did to any casual observer.

"What happens if we get mugged?" Seraphina whispered to Julianne ten minutes later on the bus. She was staring at a particularly shabby looking man who was hunched over a few rows away.

"Then Jacob will cause an 'accident'. I'm eleven now, I'm technically not supposed to do it outside of school-whichever one it will be." answer Julianne, glancing around at the adults. The nice thing about living in the city is the few times people _do_ overhear conversations with the word magic in it, they ignore it and press on about their day.

"How many more stops?" Jacob asked from where he was gazing out the window on Seraphina's other side. "It can't be more than four."

"Just three." Julianne nudged Sera, giving her a bracing smile. "Are you excited for your first day?"

Sera smiled weakly. Jacob tried to tickle her. "Come on, Phi-Phi, it'll be fun!"

"It'd be more fun if you guys were there." she protested.

"You know me and authority figures. I'd just get you in trouble," said Julianne confidently. "And J-J here would eat all the snacks."

"Without asking," added Jacob, nodding sagely.

"Without asking," confirmed Julianne. "Honestly, you're the most well-behaved and best prepared between the three of us to go to school."

Seraphina waved them off. "Okay, okay...but whose idea was it to start school in August?"

"I know!" Jacob said incredulously. Julianne hushed them, staring around with wide eyes at the adults, a few of which sent Jacob an annoyed glance or an irritated grunt.

At the next stop, a boy with olive skin jumped onto the bus, followed by a smaller boy with hair falling into his eyes. The pair of them took the seats across from the Kowalski children and grinned over at them. Julianne smiled back, where Seraphina made a point to ignore them.

"Ciao amici," the older boy said.

"Ciao," replied Julianne, her eyes twinkling.

"Ahh you've been practicing," said the boy, flashing a very toothy smile at her.

"Hi Matteo," Jacob greeted, before the other boy could launch into his family's language with gusto. "Did you have the dream yet?"

Matteo glanced around at the adults, before giving them a double thumbs up. "And you, Julianna?"

She shook her head. "I'm expecting a letter, remember?"

Matteo placed a hand on his chest dramatically. "And what? Leave me to the moose? Don't go, bella, I need you in Massachusetts with me."

"Sorry, Matt," said Julianne without remorse. "I've got big plans across the pond."

Their stop came and the five of them got off the bus. The elementary school was just around the corner, and the walk was brisk enough to beat the bell.

"Have fun, Sera! We'll be here for you in a few hours." Julianne gave her little sister a quick hug. "You too, Joey, in case Matteo abandons you." She spoke to Matteo's little brother in Italian, which motivated him to give her a hug as well.

"She's too good for you," Joey squeaked at Matteo.

"Go on ya little nose-picker," Matteo cuffed him around the neck. "Play cute for a few hours."

They waved until their youngest siblings disappeared in the building with the rest of the No-Majs, the piercing bell threatening to make them all deaf.

"Where to?" Jacob asked, shoving his hands in his pockets to look cool.

"Let's go to the park! If we sing at the fountain they might start giving us money," Matt suggested.

"No-Majs are weird," said Jacob. "Come on, Jules." He tugged at her arm, leading her after their friend.

For her part, Julianne was trying to remember all the words to _Ramble On_ from that morning. She remained focused on lyrics until they reached the park, at which point she was distracted by the older boys playing basketball or across the lot where several kids in baggy clothes were performing tricks on their skateboards. One kid was standing off to the side, one foot on his board and the other firmly on the ground. Unbidden, uncontrolled, Julianne found herself in his mind.

 _He'd had an argument with his twin that morning. They were both still upset; his brother was all the way on the other side of the park on the monkey bars. He'd had enjoyable summer out on the island until yesterday morning, when he'd-_

Jacob tapped her arm, bringing her back into the moment. "What?"

"You were at it again, weren't you?" Her brother was frowning slightly.

Julianne shrugged. "I can't help it."

"Babcia says you shouldn't in public-it's frowned upon."

"Babcia's not here," she replied, pushing past him towards the fountain.

Matteo took off his hat and laid it on the ground. "Ready miastro?" He asked jokingly, before clearing his throat. He broke into an off-key rendition of "Break Free" by Queen before she or Jacob could stop him. A few heads turned but not many. _It's just the weird Italian kid._ By the time he'd finished, a doddering old man with a small ankle biter on a leash had dropped a few coins in the hat, but that was all. Defeated, Matteo slouched against the fountain with the Kowalski's. "Your turn, amici."

Julianne pulled Jacob up with her and then gestured at him dramatically before bursting into "Boy for Sale" from Oliver!. That got a few more coins in the hat. Jacob's pitiful expression really sold it.

"What're you guys doing?" The boy from the edge of the skatepark had rolled over.

"Well it's not Shakespeare in the park," answered Matteo. "What's it look like we're doing?"

The boy shrugged. "Just asking." He looked at Julianne. "You sing good."

"Thanks."

"What's your name?"

"Juli-" she began to reply, but Jacob cut her off.

"We're not supposed to talk to strangers!" He'd crossed his arms and was frowning at the skateboard boy.

The new boy grinned and offered Jacob his hand. "I'm Jason King; and now I'm not a stranger."

Jacob gave him as piercing a look as a ten year old boy could manage before grasping the hand. "Jacob Anatoly Kowalski."

The freshly introduced Jason blinked a few times. "Bless you." He turned on Julianne once more. "You were interrupted."

She inclined her head. "My name is Julianne Queenie Kowalski."

Again, Jason blinked. "Gesundheit. Ima call you Julie-Q." He turned on Jacob. "And Ima call you Ja-ake." He looked at Matteo. "And who're you?"

Matteo said something rather inappropriate in Italian. Julianne intervened. "You can call him Matt."

"I can roll with that. Whereabouts are ya from?" Jason asked. He was very curious for a No-Maj, Julianne found that she wanted to talk to him some more. Matteo evidently did not share the same idea.

"It don't matter. S'not like you'll ever be there." Matt said snidely.

"Matteo!" Julianne scolded him. She'd always known Matt to be a little wary around new people, but he was just being mean to the No-Maj. And just like that, before she could stop herself, she was diving into Matteo's mind.

 _She saw Matteo and Joey at dinner with their twelve hundred older siblings and the baby, their parents may or may not have been in the room. Everyone was loud, several different arguments were happening, and the single rule was if you could grab it; it's yours. In trying to pull herself free, she only found his emotions. Aggression. Insecurity._

"Jules? Jules!" _She could hear Jacob calling for her, but felt powerless to return to him. She could see all eleven years of Matteo's life, even the parts he never cared to remember._

"Hey is she okay?" someone was saying.

"Back off!" Matt yelled. _Matt. Help me._

Someone took her hand. "Jules. It's okay. I'm right here."

Julianne opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred at first, but then faces became clear. Jacob was the closest, his eyes full of concern. Matt was there, and hovering the the back was the No-Maj, Jason. "I did it again," she mumbled apologetically, so only Jacob could hear her.

He nodded sadly. "Yeah. Let's get you to a radio."

 **Author's Note:**

 **If you are slightly confused about what's going on here; please feel free to check out my other story: "There's an American in the Dungeon's!"**

 **Otherwise, I hope you're willing to give this story a chance!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Sweet Dreams

**Chapter 2**

 _Sweet Dreams_

"Is no one gonna explain what happened back there?" asked Jason King for the umteenth time. A few hours had gone by and after collecting Sera and Joey from Kindergarten, (both of them looking a little pale from the unfiltered exposure to No-Maj education), Matteo treated them all to pizza at his cousin's pie shack. Jason had tagged along with them, and seemed unshakable. He annoyingly stuck by Julianne as though afraid she was going to collapse again.

"I just spaced out," she said around a mouthful of pepperoni. "Don't worry about it." She picked up another slice and shoved it into the question he was about to ask. If he was about to complain, he didn't because- _hey, free pizza._

"Tell us about your first day," said Jake, quickly changing the subject. Seraphina looked delighted, where Joey just tugged on his hair.

"There were lots of boys and girls our age, but none of them had any m-" she stopped herself. "-you-know-what." Julianne hid a smile as she watched the busboy next to their booth give a double take. "But they were nice."

"Who's your teacher?" Matteo asked, directing the question at his brother Joey.

"Missus Urso." He said, before digging into another slice of cheese.

"Is she nice?"

"Kinda." Sera answered, stealing a pepperoni from Jake's pizza while he wasn't looking. "She's a little sour-hearted."

"She's what?" asked Jason, looking confused.

"That's her word for someone who is bitter," explained Julianne. "I'm sorry she wasn't that friendly. Maybe she'll warm up in a few days."

Sera looked doubtful, but not as doubtful as Joey, who began, in Italian, explaining to Matteo exactly why she was 'sour-hearted'. Julianne and Jake, who understood mostly slang terms, snorted into their pizza.

"Want me to walk with you guys?" Matteo asked once they'd stuffed themselves. He kept glancing in mistrust at Jason.

Julianne waved his offer away. "We'll be fine. See you later."

Matteo pulled her and Jacob into a hug, likely giving Jason the evil eye over their shoulders. Seraphina and Joey gave each other an awkward high five, and then shuffled away.

Once out on the street, Julianne turned to Jason. "We'll be heading home now," she said, trying to sound polite like her mother would expect. "It was very nice to meet you."

"Julianne, I gotta talk to you." He blurted out, fidgeting with his skateboard. "I won't waste your time, but there's something I gotta say."

She ran her hand over Sera's head, giving Jacob a warning look. "Go wait by the bus stop." When they were at a safe distance, she turned back to Jason, crossing her arms. "What."

Feeling bold now that he had her attention, Jason smiled. "Okay this is gonna sound crazy, and you have every reason to not believe me but-I had a weird dream two days ago, and you were in it." He gave a nervous laugh and continued. "I know we just met today so it's impossible but I swear to you I saw a mountain coming out of the mist, towers that looked like fir trees and then there was a large room with a wooden balcony and this gold symbol on the floor and you were right behind me." He stopped, taking her silence as a bad sign.

Julianne stared at him, jaw slightly limp. _No way._ She couldn't help but check-his dream still fresh in his memory, as it likely would be for the rest of his life, she could see every detail as he'd described, down to her own face staring back. "No...I'm supposed to…" she mumbled aloud.

"Like I said," said Jason sheepishly. "It's crazy."

"No...no it's not." Lian said carefully. _I have to be certain. And there's a surefire way to know…_ "Do you have to be home at a certain hour?"

"Just before all the weirdos start walking around," answered Jason, looking unnerved at her swift change.

"Great. Come with us." She tugged on his arm and led him to the bus stop, where her siblings shot her confused looks. "I wanna show him the building." She told them vaguely, but they understood what she meant.

Jason looked apprehensive the whole way to their home, and when they stopped in front of the burnt, crumbling structure, he gave a loud whistle. "What happened to those suckers?"

Julianne gestured at the front step. "Have a closer look." Jacob and Seraphina looked on fixedly.

"You serious?" Jason gave them a hard look. "Send the black kid in first? That's gonna work."

Rolling her eyes, Julianne stepped forward, took his arm and pulled him up the steps. In her view, the townhome revealed itself for what it truly was, unharmed and welcoming. If she was right about Jason, it would appear the same for him, because their home did not admit No-Majs apart from a select few-like Dziadek.

She looked over at him, and grinned in triumph. Jason's face was priceless as he stared up at the townhome in all its simplistic glory. "How-but-what-it-burned-but-fine-and-HOW?"

"You can see it?" Jacob asked skeptically.

Jumping the gun, Seraphina exclaimed, "You're a wizard!"

Jason had questions. Fortunately, the three Kowalski children were well equipped to answer him. Jacob was just explaining the concept of disapparation and how it was better than teleportation from the comic books when the fireplace blazed to life. Jason yelled and jumped to his feet, but if it surprised any of his new friends, they did not show it. They only reacted when a man stepped out of the flames, which immediately died away once their passenger was delivered.

Seraphina took a flying jump at the man, who had styled blond hair and a clean shaven face. His blue eyes danced as he scooped his youngest daughter into his arms. "There's my little scholar! How was your first day at No-Maj school?"

Sera wrapped her arms around his neck. "It was good!"

Jacob launched himself onto the man's shoulders from the sofa, landing with a grunt. "We went to the park today."

"Right around the street from me? Why didn't you-" David Kowalski had just laid eyes on Jason and stopped. "You're not my kid."

Jason, who was still appalled that this man had appeared out of the fire, stammered helplessly for a minute before anything coherent came loose. "I'm J-Jason K-k-king."

Setting his children down, Mr. Kowalski extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm David. How do you know my children?"

Before Jason said something ridiculous, Julianne spoke for him. "We met him today. He's going to Ilvermorny."

"I am?" Jason coughed.

"Is he now? I'm not familiar with the King family-you just move into the area, Jason?"

The boy shook his head. "I was born and raised in the village."

"Really? That's not too far from where I work." David said with a smile. "Ya ever stop by Kowalski Quality Baked Goods?" Jason shook his head. "Well, next time you're in the neighborhood drop in. I'll give ya somethin on the house."

"Yes sir." Jason said with a serious face.

"Da-ad," Julianne cautioned him. "You're advertising again."

David gave his eldest a smile and planted a wet raspberry on her forehead. "Life of a businessman, sweetie." He stood and began to remove his tie. "So, how long is Jason staying with us this afternoon?"

"We were just explaining to him about apparition, and then we were getting to how he'll get to Ilvermorny with everyone else," answered Jacob without thinking.

David's smile faltered. "I'm sure his parents have taught him about all that."

"Not really," said Jason. "My mom died when my brother and I were born, and my dad's kinda in and out."

David's smile vanished altogether. "You mean…"

"He's a No-Majborn!" Seraphina squealed, beaming at Jason.

"I'm a what?" Jason asked, staring around at them all.

"That's not possible," David told Seraphina. "That just doesn't happen in America like it does in Europe."

"Check again." Julianne said with a grin. "But before that; how was work? How's Dziadek?"

"He's great, work was great, everything's just-are you sure he's a No-Majborn?" Julianne rolled her eyes at her father's fixation. "Sweetie, that just doesn't happen."

"Well apparently there's an exception to the rule," she said steadily. "Can we keep helping him come to terms with his new world now?"

David sighed, taking a seat in his armchair. "Yes. Yes, of course we can. I'm sorry buddy," he told Jason apologetically. "But this isn't a common occurrence. You're special."

"Thank you, I think." Jason looked quite befuddled, as if his brain was barely buffering along with the new information. "So, how do you get to Ilve...Ilve…"

"Ilvermorny." Supplied Julianne.

"Yeah, that place. How do we get there?"

" _We_ don't. I haven't had the dream yet so I might not go-"

"You're going." Three different voices in two different tones spoke all at once. Jacob and her father spoke with a dull finality, while Jason came from an encouraging perspective. "I saw you there with me, remember?"

"Wait, what?" David said quickly.

"You're not a seer, maybe I was included in your dream because I would help you understand-not that I would be at the school literally." Julianne hardly convinced herself with these words, let alone anyone else in the room. "Anyway; Dad, how did Aunt May describe it?"

"You know the story," replied her father vaguely. "G'head and tell it."

"Fine." Julianne began to describe at length what would happen when it was time to go to school. Jason's eyes grew wider the more she shared, and she was positive they would pop like balloons when she began explaining the four different houses.

When the summer sun began to sink into the west, they were still attempting to answer Jason's questions. By then it was whether his magic was the reason he hadn't been accepted to his regular No-Maj school, and how he was supposed to explain everything to his family. ("I mean, if I go home right now, and tell my old man that I'm supposed to go to magic school, he'd probably lay off the whiskey for a week.") Fortunately, that's when Mr. Kowalski started handling the answers.

Julianne listened intently, or at least she tried to. She already knew all of this-the whole thing. Seraphina had given up hours ago and started coloring in the corner, while Jacob got hungry and ordered take-out from their favorite Chinese place. Stuffed with chow mein and chicken, Julianne felt her eyelids beginning to droop.

She sat up suddenly when there was a knock on the door. David, very intent in speaking with Jason, told her to go and see who it was. Sliding off the couch, she left the room and stepped into a train station.

She stumbled, barely avoiding the people going about their way all around her. It was brightly lit by the skylights, and the air was filled as shrill whistles sounded from various trains all around her. Oddly, the strange environment did not frighten her, as others often did. She couldn't ride the subways in New York, the last time made her collapse for a few days. But this was unlike any train station she'd ever seen before.

She bumped shoulders with a boy about her age. They stopped and looked at one another in surprise. The boy had deep blue eyes and brown hair, and he was wearing plain black robes that looked like a school uniform somehow. He bore the Hogwarts crest, which made her heart sing with joy. She wanted to speak to him, to find out more about him but then, a tall man with the same hair and eyes took him away. The crowd in the station began to swell around her, shoving her along the platform. _No, wait. I have to talk to that boy._ She elbowed her way out of the masses, tripped on a homeless person, and was on track to slam into a brick wall. She shut her eyes, anticipating the collision, a jarring event that never came. She fell through and landed on something that was equally soft and pointy. She opened her eyes to see dirt and dead pine needles all around her. She looked up to find a wall of mist obscuring her vision, and a feeling of dread seized her very soul. _No. No, not this way. I was so close-please let me go back!_ Unbidden, her feet began to move, her body taking her while her mind protested. She did not have far to go. The castle appeared slowly, and she mistook the first few towers for very tall trees. The gate opened as she approached and in what felt like seconds she was crossing into the entrance hall. She looked around but saw no one. She saw the Gordian knot upon the floor, the circular wooden balcony above, and behind her, she heard a low growl.

She turned and saw...herself. But it wasn't her as she was now, it was her but much older. The growl sounded from the snow leopard accompanying her older self, its long tail swishing. Julianne as an eleven year old looked down at herself, finding the blue and cranberry robes on her body, the Gordian knot resting on her sternum. But as she looked back up at her older self, she saw plain black robes, and a Hogwarts crest over her heart. Her older self smiled knowingly at her, and winked.

"Jules?" Jacob was shaking her, and she gave a start, opening her eyes and finding herself at home on the couch. "You okay? Were you having another episode?" he asked, his eyes wide with concern.

Julianne shook her head, her dream or vision or whatever still in the forefront of her mind. She ran her hands over her face and through her hair. Judging by the quiet of the house, Dad had taken Jason home. The sunset was peeking through the window. "I just…" she said quietly. "I had a dream."

"THE dream?"

She nodded, biting her tongue. _I don't understand. I was so close to Hogwarts...and then...I just don't understand._

 **A/N:** **Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Start Me Up

**Chapter 3**

 _Start Me Up_

The day finally arrived. Her suitcase packed, her books bought and read through; and her new pet-a gift from her Great-Uncle for her birthday-was perched on her shoulder. He didn't like cages. Jacob and Seraphina were keeping watch by the front window, their noses pressed against the glass while their heavy breathing obscured most of their vision. It was very lucky, Julianne thought as she watched them, that no one on the street could actually see them.

The remainder of her summer had vanished into the sky like smoke. Every other day she and Jacob took Seraphina to Kindergarten, and most of the time they met up with Matteo and Joey, but not nearly as much as Jason would come and ask more questions about the wizarding world. Julianne hadn't actually had time to tell Matteo that Jason was a wizard, so when he joined them at the park asking about the difference between hippogriffs and griffins, (Julianne had lent him her book on magical creatures,) Matteo almost had a heart attack.

He seemed to get used to it, but Julianne could still tell when he wasn't being as genuine to the new kid.

"IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!" Sera squealed from the front room, waving her hands ecstatically. "IT'S...small." she froze, squinting down at the street. "Is that it?"

Jacob, who still had his nose glued to the glass, grunted. "Well it's not like our house is a regular stop, and we've never seen it before."

"Still, that could only fit like ten kids."

Julianne gripped her suitcase handle, feeling a bit on edge. "How do we know for sure?"

Her dad moved to the front door and opened it, leering at the vehicle. "That's it alright; I still remember from years ago when it took May her first year."

Amaya gave Julianne a hug. "Write to me. About everything."

"I don't want to go," she murmured in reply.

Her mother cupped Julianne's chin in her hand. "No more talk of this. You've been accepted to Ilvermorny and you should feel honored and excited. It'll be amazing!" When Julianne continued to look unconvinced, her mother sighed. "Go for a week. If you still hate it, and you have three good reasons why, I'll take you to Hogwarts myself."

Julianne pulled out of her mother's embrace, staring up at her slack-jawed. "Really?"

"Only if they're good reasons," Amaya reinforced. "Give your siblings a hug, you have seconds before you go."

Seraphina and Jacob sandwiched her, squeezing her tightly. "Don't forget about us, okay?" said her little sister from somewhere near her liver.

"Okay?" croaked Jacob, looking into her eyes. Julianne could tell he was trying not to cry.

"Okay." Julianne sniffed.

Her dad handed her suitcase over, after Mom peeled off Jacob and Seraphina. The four of them stood in the doorway as she hauled her luggage behind her towards the vehicle waiting for her on the curb. From the house, and to all No-Majs, the bus appeared quite ordinary; shabby even. But once magical eyes were within ten steps of its doors, it's true form was revealed. To anyone unfamiliar with No-Maj repellent charmwork, this would be slightly alarming. The Volkswagen bug with the rusted color suddenly transformed into a shuttle van a distinct shade of cranberry. The driver hopped out and opened the side of the van, which had a hidden and magically extended compartment for all the luggage it would carry today.

Before he loaded her things, the driver took a moment to look her over, in her torn, grass stained jeans and AC/DC t-shirt, and new red converse. "So, you're the Kowalski kid," said the driver in an accent indicative of Boston origins.

"Yeah," she replied, placing one hand on her hip. "What of it?"

"Nothin'." The driver shrugged, before loading her luggage in the under compartment. He couldn't fool Julianne, even as he opened the passenger side door for her and closed it behind her, she could practically hear his mind chuckling. _Old Gilly can't wait to meet her._

 _Who's Gilly?_ she wondered as she found an empty seat. The inside of the shuttle was unbelievably comfy. On the outside the thing looked like it could only seat eight passengers, while the interior resembled something of what she imagined a limousine to be like. Her aunt had told her about the shuttles to school. Apparently there were about thirty of them, one for two states or provinces. Several seats were already filled with older students, in mixed attire. Their robes were kept and provided at the school itself, as were the wands. She didn't recognize anyone for a few minutes, until she spotted Matteo sitting with his older brother and sisters. Feeling slightly relieved, she occupied the seat across from the five of them. "Ciao amici."

"Ciao," they all chorused. Matteo went to speak further but was beat to the punch by his older brother, Giovanni.

"Nice shirt," he said with a grin.

"This old thing?" she returned cheekily.

"Are you so excited?" One of the triplets asked brightly. Julianne guessed it was Angela but she couldn't be certain it wasn't Rosa-Maria.

"What House do you think you'll get?" the other one chimed in.

"Or at least, what House do you think Matt's gonna get?" Julianne was sure the third one was Laura-she was the only one with the cat-eye glasses. This year she'd opted for a frame with rhinestones and Julianne couldn't tell if it was fashionable or a faux pas. "We've been arguing all summer over it and I swear to President Jackson and back we still can't figure it."

Unsure which to answer, Julianne decided to go in order. "Not terribly thrilled but whatever; I don't know but it's almost a tradition to get into Pukwudgie in my family and-" she considered Matteo for a moment. "Definitely Horned Serpent."

Laura laughed while the rest of the Bianchi bunch gave Julianne mingled looks of surprise and amusement.

The shuttle began to move off towards the village, and pulled smoothly to a stop before a brick apartment building. There were several broken windows and the bricks were a faded orange instead of the traditional red.

Julianne watched with interest as a boy stuck his head out the window on the second floor, turned to yell over his shoulder at someone, likely a family member, and then just lean against the window sill, watching the deceptively shabby van. Then, Jason King, who Julianne realized looked very much like the boy from upstairs, came out the front door and met the driver. When he was exactly ten steps away from the van, and able to see its true form; Jason's jaw dropped as he gazed up in wonder at the shuttle. Julianne waved before remembering that the windows were one-way. As he boarded, his eyes found her and Matteo immediately and he claimed the seat to Julianne's left.

"It's real," he whispered excitedly. "I mean, I believed you when you told me. I believed your pops when he told me. But it's here. We're actually going!" He ran a hand through his short hair. "I have more questions."

With the help of the older, more experienced students, the entire shuttle clamored to answer Jason for nearly two hours until his mind was utterly spent. Then, his final inquiry of the ride gave them all a hearty laugh. "Are we there yet?"

* * *

The shuttle moved through the No-Maj community swiftly, able to skip through entire streets and manage to not run any red lights, squeezing into lanes that would've been impossible were this a normal vehicle. They picked up kids all over New York and Vermont, before dipping down into Massachusetts.

The road the shuttles took, as more than one began to culminate outside the window, until they were positively driving in a line of cranberry up the highway, was sheltered by giant pine trees. The longer they drove the more fog seemed to appear all around them, until they were basically wading through it. There were moments when it seemed as though the cars were flying rather than rolling through the mist.

Definitely not your regular roadtrip.

Their driver pulled off to the shoulder, putting it into park. "First years, off here."

Julianne glanced out the window, through which she could barely make out a sign post, and almost nothing beyond. "Is he serious?"

Giovanni nodded, saying nothing. Laura smiled encouragingly. "Good luck."

Feeling decidedly unlucky, Julianne led the way off their shuttle, a collection of boys and girls trailing behind her. Several other first years were to be seen hesitantly leaving the shuttle vans, which promptly disappeared into the mist once the doors shut. Julianne estimated around a hundred kids altogether, once the shuttles had all gone.

"Now what?" Jason asked, unaware that for once, she did not possess all the answers. Shrugging, she moved towards the sign post-which was all black except for a Gordian knot in the very center. A couple of kids moved up behind her to examine it, someone even tapped the symbol as though expecting something miraculous to happen.

It was an interesting choice, Julianne thought reflecting on their situation, that the school would choose to leave a bunch magical children on the roadside, without any magical instruments or aid to their name. _Well, not entirely,_ she reminded herself, reaching up to her shoulder where Diggle was still clinging. He'd taken a nap during the trip, but she could feel him kneading her shirt fabric nervously. No one else could see him, in fact neither could Julianne, but if she could get a glimpse from his forethoughts…

 _Something small and prickly emerged from the mist, carrying a bow, a few arrows dipped in a dark substance, and a lantern. Some of the students opted to follow, and some of them wanted to stay by the sign._

Blinking, Julianne frowned at Jason, who was repeatedly hitting her arm. He was pointing at something beyond the sign. First it was a floating light, but then, just as Diggle had seen, a small, prickly creature waddled towards them. He was grumbling under his breath, pausing momentarily to wave his lantern, which was hanging from the end of a very tall stick, and call in a surprisingly deep timbre. "First year students of Ilvermorny, come with me if you want to make it to the castle before the Hidebehinds get you."

"The what?" asked Jason, eying the little creature skeptically. Several of the others mirrored his expression, and the people at the back moved to the side to get a better look at it. Julianne squinted at the creature, trying to name it before it became obvious.

"You're a Pukwudgie," she stated. The little creature turned his beetle black eyes on her and nodded. The lantern on its stick swung dangerously with this motion. "And they sent you from the school?"

"I wouldn't trust it!" said a loud voice from the left. Julianne couldn't place it with the numbers she was facing but she didn't like the sound of whoever it was. "Pukwudgie's don't like humans-he'll lead us all into an ambush and kill us off!"

This pronouncement caused a series of concerned whispers to spread through the assembled students.

"Hey stupid," came another voice, this time belonging to a boy. He was standing right behind Julianne, Jason and Matteo. "Instead of spouting off half-truths, why don't you sit back and let the rest of us intelligent people figure out what to do. Pukwudgie's have been working at the school since the founder's time, and it makes sense that one of them would help us get to the castle."

"If you want to get jabbed with poisoned arrows, go ahead. I'm staying right here and wait for a _human_ official to collect us-instead of gallivanting off into the woods with an overgrown porcupine!"

"What do you think we should do?" Jason asked Julianne expectantly, causing a few heads to turn in her direction.

She gulped, trying to gather her thoughts, which was hard to do while she tried to ignore everyone else's opinions. There were some very loud thoughts, likely from Texas.

"Guys!" Matteo stole the attention away from her, looking bored. "This is a test. I have had six brothers and sisters go through this and they all say the same thing-the path is personal, but the way is the same."

"I was just getting to that," growled the Pukwudgie. "How you get the castle is your choice, but one way or another, you'll each have to ascend the mountain. You can follow me, trust me, or you can try another way. If you don't reach the castle gate in time for the sorting, you'll be shut out, and have to wait until next year to make the climb. Or you could just get attacked by one of the beasts in the forest." he paused, letting his words sink in. Then he turned around and started making his way through the mist. "I won't ask again."

Julianne didn't hesitate, she marched right after the Pukwudgie, followed by Matteo and several others. Glancing back she saw at least half of them still standing by the sign post. She wondered if the Pukwudgie was telling the truth, that if you didn't get to the castle in time you'd be rejected until later. Maybe she should wait by the sign, then she could try to get into Hogwarts again. She called over her shoulder to those still hesitating. "The shuttle's aren't coming back, guys!"

That seemed to motivate a few of them to follow, but too many remained stubbornly by the sign. Shrugging, Julianne turned to face forward and marched after the swinging lantern.

Moments later, the ground upon which they walked turned into a steep incline. Julianne could almost crawl on all fours, and some people had to, in order to avoid slipping and falling. Which is exactly what happened to the person directly in front of Julianne. They came sliding on a cascade of dirt and pine needles, colliding with her shins and knocking the pair of them into a bush.

"Julie-Q?" Jason called from somewhere, but she was not in a space to answer him, what with an elbow in her face. The human rockslide and she disentangled from one another, and she found that it was in fact a girl.

"First time hiking a mountain?" Julianne asked conversationally. The girl gave a hollow laugh.

"No, but the fog isn't exactly helping." She glanced uphill nervously. "We're losing the group."

"Eh," Julianne got to her feet, helping the other girl up as well. "We'll be okay. Just keep marching up."

"What's your name?" the girl asked.

"Julianne. Yours?"

"Vera."

Julianne gave her a small smile, then turned and began pushing her way through the undergrowth. "Stay close. We'll have a better chance that way."

They hiked in silence, the distant sounds of the Pukwudgie group encouraging them onward. Diggle had migrated from her shoulder to the collar of her shirt, making a strange rumbling with his throat that reminded Julianne of a kitten's purr. She wasn't entirely sure if this was a good sign or not, but he kept sending her visions of Vera tripping and tumbling all the way down the mountainside, or something equally bad. With this knowledge constantly uploading itself to her brain she was able to save the other girl from quite a few stumbles on their journey.

"What's that noise?" Vera asked, finally catching a hint of Diggle's weird purr.

"Nothing to worry about, that's just Diggle." replied Julianne, sidestepping a large, gnarled root that was protruding from the ground. "He's mine, I'm his, that whole dynamic and such."

"Diggle?" Vera squeaked as she almost slipped for the eleventh time. Julianne grabbed her arm without even looking over her shoulder. "Is he a kitten?"

"Demiguise." Julianne corrected, grabbing a nearby branch in order to haul herself a bit further up. "He's kinda shy, so he's concealing himself."

"Oh." Vera did not sound assured, or further informed. But, she didn't ask for clarity so Julianne did not offer it. Silence lapsed between them once again.

After what felt like several days, or possibly a year, the climb began to level out, until it was flat altogether. The mist seemed less opaque and more translucent. Julianne could swear she saw an outline of a wrought iron gate, and just before it, a light upon a tall stick swinging dangerously from side to side.

"We made it," Vera gasped, sounding amazed and out of breath.

"Of course we did," panted Julianne. "How dare you doubt that we would." Rushing to blend in with the group, the girls took what they could see of the school as they waited just within its gates.

After about another half hour, several more students appeared over the crest of the mountain, though in her gut Julianne knew they were still missing quite a few students. Feeling slightly reckless, she moved to the front of the assembled students to where the Pukwudgie was standing. "What if they're lost?"

"Hmm?" the Pukwudgie grunted.

"The other students-what if they've lost their way?"

"That's what the Hidebehinds are for," he said darkly.

"Right." she replied curtly. She then snatched his lantern from off the tall stick. "I'm borrowing this." Swiftly, she moved back to the edge of the mountain, raising the lantern high. It did nothing to penetrate the fog but at least if anyone was close they could glimpse it. "HEY!" she shouted, knowing that there were a few times whilst climbing that she would not have continued, save that she'd heard voices ahead, guiding her path.

Footsteps from behind alerted her to the presence of others. The girl she'd hiked with, Vera, Jason, and a few others she'd never seen before. They stood in a line with her on the edge of the mountain and called down to those still climbing. First came a couple of boys covered from head to toe in mud. It looked like they'd spent the better part of the time wrestling rather than climbing. Behind them came a solitary girl who was sweating profusely. One by two by six in one case, kids began arriving out of the mist, joining the group inside the gate. The last one to arrive was the loud girl from earlier. Julianne knew she had to be the last because she was grumbling about it her head.

Offering the girl her hand, she grimaced. "Come on, let's get sorted."

 **Authors Note:** **This was slow writing, as I've searched everywhere for where JK Rowling says HOW students get to Ilvermorny. She doesn't, that I could find, so everything you've read here is my idea. Does it work, do you think? Please tell me in your reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Go Your Own Way

Chapter 4

 _Go Your Own Way_

"Who're they?" Jason was pointing at the marble statues, illuminated only by the light from inside the castle. The statues in question were of a witch and a man, one on either flank of the grand front doors.

"Isolt and James; the founders of Ilvermorny. She was a witch from Ireland, and he was a No-Maj." Julianne answered, remembering what her Aunt May had told her. They scaled the stone steps and reached to push open the doors, but they fell away before any of the first years could lay a hand on the polished wood. Beyond the threshold awaited a circular room with a high ceiling, topped off by a glass cupola, through which they could see the stars. But before that, their eyes were drawn to the wooden balcony about half-way between the floor and the top, likely indicative of a second floor. All the older students were staring down at them, waiting for what happened next.

"Welcome to Ilvermorny," said a voice from the other end of the room. Julianne located the owner at once; an old man with a crew cut and a trimmed beard. His hair was a bright steel color and his eyes were the deepest brown. "Please come in, stand around the walls if you well. One by one you will come forward to stand upon the Gordian knot-" he indicated the golden symbol in the middle of the floor. "-and wait for your house to call to you. If perchance, more than one house offers you a place, the choice is yours where and how you'll spend your time here."

Though the room was circular, wooden carvings were placed on four separate parts of the wall, representing each house. The old man, presumably one of the teachers, cleared his throat and called, "Anderson, Kyle" forward. A boy with blond hair and a sunburned face moved forward to stand over the symbol. Nothing happened at first, and then the jewel on the Horned Serpent's head began to glow. Overhead, the older students cheered. Some even stamped their feet which made it sound like thunder. Kyle Anderson smiled broadly and, following the old man's direction, moved into the next room. Julianne wondered if he was expected to wait upstairs with the rest of the school.

It continued on in this manner, each student being chosen by the house and then quietly exiting the circular room. "Bianchi, Mattimeo" got sorted into Horned Serpent, as Julianne had teasingly predicted. She could hear his five older siblings above howling the loudest as he left the hall. "Cassidy, Andrew" was sorted into Wampus, while "Dunaeva, Scott" became a Thunderbird. Julianne identified him as the same boy who had said, 'Hey stupid,' at the bottom of the mountain.

"Everton, Aisha" became the first Pukwudgie of the evening. She looked a bit surprised, glancing towards the one that had led half of them up the mountainside in doubt. On and on it went-eleven year olds from all over North America went on getting sorted. It seemed highly unlikely that they would ever get to-"King, Jason".

Julianne gave him a push as he seemed to hesitate, urging him forward onto the Gordian knot. Bouncing on his tiptoes, Jason frowned around at the carvings in anticipation. For a horrible moment, Julianne thought none of the houses would offer themselves, and it would be the most awkward return home anyone would be faced with. _So, you've got magic, but not enough. Have fun living as a Squib!_ Which was all well and good-Squibs could enjoy very good lives in and out of the magical worlds, _Just look at Dad-oh wait, here we go._

All at once the Horned Serpent's jewel glowed while the Thunderbird flapped its wings. Jason hesitated further, remembering what the old man had told them at the start. It was his choice now. In the end, he chose Horned Serpent, exiting the hall after the rest.

"Kowalski, Julianne", came next, and for a moment, she forgot who that was. She stepped out into the middle of the room, expecting the Pukwudgie to raise its arrow the second she did. The carving stared stoically back at her, while a roar from behind made her jump. Turning on the spot, she not only saw the Wampus beckoning her, but the Thunderbird was flapping its wings as well. _The choice is yours where and how you'll spend your time here,_ she recalled quietly, glancing between the two carvings while her mind raced. Wampus house sounded cool, the house of the body, the warrior. But as she looked at the Thunderbird, she knew the answer was obvious. _I choose adventure, as surely as I choose to go to Hogwarts._

Placing her palm on the head of the Thunderbird, she could've sworn she felt a surge of lightning channeling into her soul through the mahogany. It was the spark of intrigue, the hunger to explore, and her spirit soared.

She might have walked into the next room, she might have glided, she wasn't entirely sure. What she did know was that she had to wait outside while Jason finished receiving his wand. He came out with wide eyes as he gazed at the stick in his hand. Winking as they passed, Julianne stepped inside and saw a man with leathered skin and long, braided white hair. The walls of the room were entirely comprised of shelves, filled from the ceiling to floor with long, slender boxes.

"Wand arm?" The old Indian asked, his sharp eyes surveying her with interest. Julianne raised her left hand, which he inspected with his sight, a few well placed prods and he even inhaled deeply.

She thought he looked familiar. "Aren't you a wand maker?"

As he moved through the shelves, he replied. "You've quite a memory-I was a wand maker for a time, but I am now a teacher at this school. My name is Professor Wolfe." He selected a few boxes and brought them over to her. "Try this," he offered her the first wand. "Cherry, 10 ¼ inches, Veela hair, tempered."

She took the delicate looking wand but had barely waved it around before Professor Wolfe was shaking his head. "Worth a try. Here-" he replaced the Cherry wand with another. "Snakewood, 12 inches, Jackalope antler, unyielding."

The moment her hand touched the wand it sparked and jumped out of her grip. "That's a solid no, then."

Professor Wolfe grunted, picking the wand up and placing it back in its box. "Try one of mine, then." He summoned a box from off the higher shelf, taking out a carefully carved wand. At its base was the carved head of an animal, though she couldn't tell which kind. She already knew that wand was hers before Professor Wolfe could give a brief explanation of its creation. "Pinewood, 14 ½ inches, Thunderbird feather core, reasonably supple, yet very stubborn. If this wand chooses you, you will have a very interesting career as a witch." He placed the wand in her hand, then backed away quickly.

Not for nothing, for when Julianne waved it, a shower of green and silver sparks shot from the tip. Professor Wolfe's expression remained the same, but Julianne could detect a feeling of pride somewhere within him. _One of his...he made this wand! This is an actual Wolfe!_ She checked the base of the wand again, wondering whether the animal engraved in the wood was supposed to be a wolf, as a nod to his work. But no, the ears were rounded. She wanted to ask, but knew that there were more students coming to claim their wand, so she bowed politely and left the room.

The sorting finished up at last and the older students led them into the enormous dining hall. On the walls and ceiling, every where that wasn't a window or the floor, was a mural, depicting the four magical creatures of the different houses, two for each House. The Wampus cats were stalking the Pukwudgies, who were currently watching the Horned Serpents as they slithered around the painted river. High above on the slanted ceiling, the Thunderbirds overlooked all, their golden feathers glinting in the light.

Each window, which was stained glass and seemed to be depicting the story of Ilvermorny's founding one to the next, was large enough to reach up and down the height of the walls. As for the dining arrangements, there didn't seem to be a set table for each house. On the contrary, there were three large, circular tables that had been set at an equal distance to the long, rectangular table that had been set at the end of the hall, likely for the teachers.

Julianne found a seat among more familiar faces, but something in her gut told her that these were not the faces she would always seek in this room. No one was reaching for the food, however hungry they all were, instead they were all waiting patiently for someone at the staff table to speak. The same wizard who had called the names during the sorting never took a seat, instead choosing to remain standing. As he smiled around at the students, it dawned on Julianne who he had to be.

"Welcome to all; we have missed our old students, and are terribly excited to meet the new ones." Headmaster Fontaine said with earnest. "This new year comes with many changes and announcements, all of which will be addressed. But first, well, I don't know about you all but I'm starving."

There was a scatter of amusement among the students, almost drowned by the murmur of agreement. Julianne accidentally elbowed Giovanni Bianchi in the ribs in her efforts to seize the barbequed ribs before anyone else. She served him a few in apology, but he didn't seem to notice or mind. He was busy arguing with Angela over the lasagna. A few seats over, Rosa-Maria was flirting with a boy Julianne would never in her life call attractive, but the vibes she was getting off Rosa-Maria were enough to trick her for a minute or two. Shaking her head, she scooped herself a serving of mashed potatoes and reached for the salad bowl, which was being set aside by one of the other first years.

"Hey," she called to him, and he looked up at her, brow furrowed. That's when she realized his mouth was full. "Oh sorry, nevermind. You eat." She looked away quickly, picking up her fork and shoveling her food into her mouth. Vera sniggered beside her. She'd been sorted into Wampus house, though she'd had the option to become a Pukwudgie also. On her other side was Jason, who was already on his second helping of food.

When Julianne had reached the second floor to watch the rest of the sorting, he'd mentioned how thrilling the year was going to be now that they were all in the same house. It was then that she'd had to admit that she'd actually been sorted into something other than Horned Serpent. The look on his face was something she wouldn't soon forget, like a toddler being told he had to walk to the park on his own.

 _He'll be okay. He's friendly enough, and he's got Matt...not that he's a great socialite. But it's better than nothing,_ thought Julianne as she gulped down some water. _In any case, it doesn't look like they emphasize separating the houses much...I don't recall anyone actually mentioning that they did, anyway…_

She would only learn later how incorrect her assumptions were.

When everyone was full and their plates satisfyingly empty, Headmaster Fontaine got to his feet. "There, that's much better, I should think. Although I did have to re-adjust my belt quite a few notches to accommodate this meal." he grunted to emphasize this point. "Now, onto those announcements I mentioned earlier. I am delighted to introduce our new Self-Transfiguration teacher, Professor Kamau." He gave a gallant gesture to a man who rose to his feet, who was garbed in brightly colored robes, and had faded tattoos on his cheeks that resembled fangs.

Julianne decided immediately that she liked him. Staring at him from her seat, she could glimpse bits and pieces of his past. She saw wide open savannahs and brilliant blue horizons. Fortunately, Headmaster Fontaine's voice brought her back to the here and now.

"And I would also like to introduce Professor Bluebone as our new No-Maj studies teacher." Another round of applause for the much more subtly dressed Mr. Bluebone, who stood and gave a nod before settling back into his chair. "We're very grateful to have both of these fine teachers join our staff. Now, tryouts for Quodpot teams will be held this weekend, and I would to remind our older students and inform the new ones that traversing the mountain paths alone is expressly forbidden and could earn you an early trip home at _least._ " He gave a stern look to several different students spread out across the hall. Evidently this was a specific rule that was often broken. "And William, our head of security, has asked that I remind you all to not fly, duel or run in the corridors." That particular announcement earned a few chuckles from some of the older students.

"In that order, too," said Giovanni under his breath.

Professor Fontaine had a few other rules he felt the need to address, and then he dismissed them to go to bed. Disoriented, Julianne looked around for someone who knew where 'bed' was, and that was when she noticed that the students were leaving the hall out four distinct groups.

"Wampus! With me!" cried a tall boy with broad shoulders over the heads of the confused first years.

"Horned Serpent, this way!" A short girl with glasses and a thousand freckles was calling.

"Pukwudgie House, over here!" an overweight boy with an afro was waving down his house.

Julianne scanned the hall in an effort to locate the Thunderbird leader, but no one stood out to her. _Odd._ She did find a few in her house who looked equally confused, and they stood back to back in an effort to find their person. As the other three houses filed out of the hall, leaving just the first years in Thunderbird, something occurred to Julianne. "Guys...I don't think we get a guide."

"Why?" asked one of the boys standing beside her.

"Thunderbird favors adventurers; I think we're supposed to find it ourselves."

One of the boys, she was pretty sure was called Scott, sighed heavily. "You've got to be kidding me."

Julianne gestured around the hall, which was almost empty. "Do you see anyone volunteering to show us the way?"

"Maybe they forgot to assign someone," said a girl with a round face and short brown hair.

"Either way, she's got a point," said a boy with dark red hair and green eyes. "Our first adventure starts now."

 _Well, second adventure, if you count the hike._ "Okay, so we're in agreement to go it alone?" The other Thunderbird fletchlings nodded in a determined sort of way, though some still seemed hesitant. "Great. Any ideas on which way-"

"Here's a thought," the boy named Scott was facing the ceiling. "Why don't we follow them?"

"Huh?" Julianne and the others looked up quickly in time to see the pair of painted Thunderbirds circling over them. Once their attention had been captured, the birds began to descend to the walls and towards the doors. "Cool."

But once out in the hall, the painted birds picked up speed, shooting across the walls and back up to the ceiling. "Oh boy," the girl with the round face grunted. "They want to play hide and seek."

"I'm not closing my eyes and counting," the boy with the red hair replied. _I've really got to learn names._

"Don't just stand around here, then, let's go!" Off they went, about fifteen of them in all, racing through the castle after a pair of paintings. They had to be an odd sight, Julianne would later reflect, but perhaps not so odd if this was really what happened every year. But why exclusively their house? Adventure was one thing, but plain stupidity was another.

Eight floors later, they emerged through a trapdoor into a large and spacious loft. Tall windows gazed out over the starry sky and the misty mountains in the distance. It was like stepping into the atmosphere itself. There were tables and chairs, couches around a fire pit, and wooden staircase leading up to a secondary floor that had a grand piano and other places to hang out. There was even a small kitchen. The entire room was full to capacity, and when the first years entered, all eyes turned on them.

"What took you guys so long?" someone from the upper level called.

"Nine...freaking...floors…" panted one of the girls, who had doubled over in an effort to catch her breath.

"You didn't take the shortcut?" a tall girl with long hair asked incredulously.

"The what?" asked Julianne, squinting around at them all.

"Who led you guys?" asked a boy with curly hair and glasses.

 _Here it comes._ "No one." Scott answered.

There was a rustle of surprise and dismay throughout the older students, particularly in the far corner near the window. Finally, a skinny boy came forward, blushing in odd areas on his face and neck. "So uh...I sorta forgot. Sorry about that."

"Forgot!" Julianne gave a harsh laugh. "Don't worry about it. We're all here now-I think!" There was a ripple of laughter throughout the room, and the first years moved forward to meet their older housemates. For her part, Julianne stepped forward to meet the skinny guy, who was at least twice her height. "What's your name?"

"Jonathan Haply," he gave her a curious stare. "You're Kowalski, right?" Julianne nodded. "Figures."

"Your aunt is so cool!" one of the older girls exclaimed. "I mean, her class is hell but she is amazing!"

"Wait, she's the related to the Alchemist?" another voice piped up. "Yes!"

Someone was throwing an arm about her shoulders. "What's your name, kid?"

"Julianne Queenie Kowalski," she answered, looking up into a kind of roguish face.

"That's a mouthful. Got a nickname?" asked Jonathan.

"Several," she replied.

"Well choose one." said the girl with the cheeky face. "What would you like to be called?"

There's something about the way people choose to phrase their words, it means differently to the people listening than it does to the speaker. When this question was posed to her in such a way, she didn't hear, 'pick one of your old nicknames to become your new moniker', she heard: Choose a new name. Fresh start. New school. Might be a good time to go her own way.

"Lian." she decided at last. "Call me Lian."

 **A/N** **: Fortunately, JK did describe how the sorting works at Ilvermorny, so it was a bit easier to do that part. Also, Shikoba Wolfe _is_ an actual wandmaker in the Potterverse, but him being a teacher at Ilvermorny is my thing. That I know of. Anyway; tell me what you guys think so far-I'll try to update soon!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Red Sky

**Chapter 5**

 _Red Sky_

The next morning dawned surprisingly bright, and the first years found the rest of their house all gathered in the loft's kitchen, which had extended itself to fit everyone in for breakfast.

"We don't eat down in the hall?" asked Beck. She was one of the girls in Lian's room, who had insisted that they all introduce themselves before falling asleep the night previously.

"Not for regular meals, no," answered a kind faced girl, who looked old enough to drive in the No-Maj world. "We only eat with the rest of the school for major events like start and end of term, holidays and special guests."

"Who finished off the Cocoa Puffs?" a boy called from within the pantry.

"I think it was Kelly," someone replied. Lian served herself some scrambled eggs and toast and just listened to the older students chattering away. The girl with the kind face was named Tina, while the boy who was hungry from Cocoa Puffs was named Jamie. He had large eyebrows that rested over big, brown eyes and under a mess of curly black hair. Kelly, it transpired, was a big guy with long arms and blond hair. Lian began to doubt she would ever learn everyone's names.

"When do we get our class schedules?" asked Kristy, the girl in Lian's year with a round face.

Tina jerked her head towards the window. "On the announcement board-they're sorted by year."

Lian moved to the place she'd gestured towards, eyes raking the pieces of paper pinned up. There was one long list of all the classes available, accompanied by the names of the teachers that taught them. She noticed that the classes were written in different colors of ink; some in red, some in green, and mostly in blue. "What do the colors signify?"

"Blue means it's a standard class," Jonathan answered, stifling a yawn. "Everyone is required to take those. Green means it's an elective course, you don't have to but you can, once you hit second or third year." He came up to the board with her and took a course schedule for his year, 6th. "And red means you don't pick the class, you get chosen by the teacher if you have the right aptitude for the class."

Lian's eyes scanned over the red classes, her heart sinking slightly. There were only four, but she wanted to take every single one of them: Alchemy, History of Wandlore, Self-Transfiguration, and what had to be Ancient Runes, but it was scribed out in actual runes.

She took one of the first year course schedules, which was blank until she touched it, then ink began to write itself across the page.

 _Lian Kowalski_

 _Course Schedule_

 _1st Year_

 _9:00 - History of Magic_

 _10:00 - Study Hall_

 _11:00 - Transfiguration_

 _12:00 - Meditation_

 _1:00 - Lunch_

 _2:30 - Potions_

 _4:00 - TBD_

Lian frowned at the noon appointment. _That wasn't listed on the courses available. And what does TBD stand for?_

"We've got a few classes together," said Kristy, who had taken a schedule for herself. "How come you have a meditation period?"

"A what?" Tina grabbed Lian's schedule and scanned it before handing it back. "That's weird."

"Now that it's official, how about we head to-" she checked the schedule. "-History of Magic."

"Better hurry up, it's down on the third floor." Tina cautioned, gathering her own books. Following her example, Lian and the rest of the first years grabbed their bags and filed out of the trapdoor.

Upon entering the classroom, they spotted a young woman with dark hair pulled back into a braid standing near the the chalkboard. The desks had been stacked on the far side of the room, leaving the floor open and empty. Unsure of what to do, the Thunderbirds sort of grouped together near the door.

The woman looked around, revealing an explosion of freckles and bright blue eyes. "Good morning. Please come in and have a seat on the floor."

Giving the perfectly good desks another glance, Lian moved forward and sat as close to the chalkboard as she dared, crisscrossing her legs. The rest of her house followed suit, and Lian found herself sandwiched between Scott and Beck.

The woman smiled. "Welcome to History of Magic. My name is Professor Potter, and I look forward to getting to know you all."

"Why are we sitting on the floor?" asked Scott, jerking his head at the stacked chairs and desks along the wall.

Professor Potter shrugged. "You'll find that a lot of your classes will not involve sitting at a desk, I'll award points to anyone who can tell me why. Now then, I'll be calling the roll in a moment, but first I would like for you all to decide who you want to study first." She pulled out her wand and waved it over the chalkboard, which began to construct the likeness of three different people. "Shall we begin with Isolt Sayre and her story? Or perhaps the records of Red Sky? Or even the great Merlin himself. Think it over while I call the roll, and we'll decide together."

After "Yoshizawa, Rebecca," had declared herself present, Professor Potter allowed them to approach the blackboard one by one and make a mark as to whom they wanted to study first. Lian wasn't terribly surprised to see that Red Sky had received the most votes, even though she herself had hoped for Merlin. It was then that the class became interesting.

Professor Potter waved her wand and dimmed the lights in the room, before casting an illusionary spell to transform the room into a thickly wooded forest. Lian scooted a few inches to her left so she was sitting inside an oak that vanished into the ceiling. She could still see though, as Professor Potter began to narrate. "Centuries past, when the only man to be found on this continent was either Native American or a very lost Viking-" another flick of her wand and the fake forest began to shake around them. "-Magic roamed free. It was not tied to a specific bloodline, it was as the earth beneath our feet-constant and discoverable. Many within the tribes feared Magic, feeling that it should be hunted like a buffalo. Others believed it should be tamed, like a horse. Generally, the humans left the Magic alone." -another wave and the illusion shifted, showing a few animals such as the rabbit, the mountain lion, the snake, the golden eagle, the frog, and the sparrow.- "As the Magic was without restraint, it was able to do whatever it pleased to the undiscovered world. It imbued the creatures of the land, giving them superior lifespan, strength and in some cases, a bit of magic for themselves." -The rabbit sprouted antlers and bounded off into the trees. The mountain lion grew another set of legs while its yellow eyes glowed menacingly. The snake grew horns on its head and tail, like a wingless, legless dragon. The golden eagle truly became gold, its feathers glinting as it soared into the sky, clouds of thunder forming around it. The frog grew to the size of a large dog, sprouted horns while its eyes glowed red. And the sparrow grew a lizard-like tail with spikes at the end, a long neck and adopted a dragon-like appearance. It followed after the Thunderbird, disappearing into the fake clouds.

Lian watched with interest, though she knew the legend of Red Sky well. He had been a young hunter, with a terrible habit of wandering away from the rest of the hunters. He was curious about the Magic in the world, and why the elders of the tribe refused to speak of it. As he walked through the unknown woods, he stumbled upon the den of a Wampus Cat, a six-legged, swift and powerful beast, almost impossible to kill. The Wampus Cat spoke to Red Sky, telling him to not be afraid. Red Sky asked how the creature had learned to speak, to which the cat replied, 'Magic.'

Overjoyed that he had found a source of Magic, Red Sky came back day after day to learn about the mysterious force that flowed through the world. The Wampus Cat would answer, so long as Red Sky presented him with food. One day, the Wampus Cat asked if Red Sky would like to harness Magic for himself, to which the answer was yes. And so, under the cats instruction, the hunter learned to use Magic.

"The legend says that eventually, the Wampus Cat taught Red Sky how to change his shape. Does anyone know how the story ends?" Professor Potter asked.

Kristy raised her hand. "He transfigured himself into a fish, and the Wampus ate him."

A few of the students laughed, but Professor Potter merely shook her head. "That's how the bedtime story goes, but does anyone know what really happened?"

Heads turned as the class looked at one another expectantly, but no one raised their hand. Lian, for her part was distracted by the teacher, who had the answer practically written across her forehead. Right when the professor looked ready to burst, Lian raised her hand. "Red Sky was able to transform into a bear, but as he didn't do it properly he was unable to transform back into a man. Furious with the Wampus who had tricked him into his cursed state, they fought each other and Red Sky won, only to be hunted, killed and skinned by his own tribe a few days later."

As she'd described the events, the illusion took direction by her words. It showed the Wampus and the bear battle it out, and then, skipping the gruesome end, showed a tribe feasting on bear meat and wearing the fur of Red Sky. A kind of shocked silence followed her answer, while Professor Potter gave a grim smile and awarded Thunderbird House ten points. "Do you have a historian in your family, Ms. Kowalski?"

"Just a great-uncle who's highly curious about American Magical creatures and their lore." Lian answered with a shrug. This was true, but Uncle Newt had never told her about Red Sky. Anything she'd learned about the true story had occurred about two minutes after Professor Potter began telling the story. But she wasn't about to admit it, on the off chance Professor Potter would deduct the points she'd just earned.

"Your homework," speak of the devil, "is to write six inches of parchment, explaining the lessons learned from the legend of Red Sky, and whether or not it's worth the time and risk to become an Animagus. Due next class period-and there's the bell." The illusion faded away until they were sitting in a regular classroom once again. Everyone got to their feet and scuttled out into the hallway, a few of them checking their schedules.

"Who else has got Herbology?" asked Beck, looking around at them. A few of them, mostly girls, raised their hands. "Great, we'll see the rest of you later then."

Scott nudged Lian with his elbow. "You've got Study Hall too, right?" She nodded. "Let's go explore!"

Lian rolled her eyes. "For an hour? I'd rather do the essay."

"Killjoy," Scott grumbled, walking in the opposite direction. Unabashed, Lian set off with the remaining three towards the library. They'd found it last night while chasing the paintings.

* * *

"My name," the wizard's voice rang out through the classroom like a gong, bringing each and everyone of them to attention, "is Professor Rappaport, your Transfiguration teacher. I should like to direct your attention to the rules of my classroom; each of which you shall observe throughout the next seven years." He whipped his wand through the air, and a long scroll of parchment rolled down from seemingly nowhere. Lian counted at least twenty-four rules, before the page was suddenly gone. "Is what I'd like to do, but I recognize that you are my Wampus/Thunderbird class, and I'd only be wasting my breath. Understand that a certain degree of respect and manners are to be followed in my classes, and anything less will have consequences."

"Transfiguration's gonna be great," Lian whispered to Vera, who nodded ever so slightly, her eyes wide and eyebrows vanishing into her fringe. Professor Rappaport was a thin man with a receding hairline and what hair did remain was sticking out in all directions. His circular glasses balanced precariously on the center of his nose bridge, convincing Lian that one good sneeze would send them up into the chandelier. Overall, he looked like a sleepy Einstein sans the mustache.

"As today is your first day in this class, and your second day holding a wand, we shall be reading in the textbook, introducing you all to Transfiguration basics and theory." barked Professor Rappaport. "Everyone open your books to the introduction and trade off paragraphs one by one. We'll start with Mr. Cassidy at the back and work our way forward. Proceed!"

 _Theory. Great._ The reading included the transformation formula, and revealed that quite a few people in their class couldn't pronounce words longer than seven letters. Lian was relieved that the class was mixed with another House; for a moment there she began to believe she'd never see the other houses ever again.

At the end of an hour, Rappaport assigned them almost the same as Potter; a six inch essay on the five elements of Transfiguration. Which was not bad, considering she'd completed the first assignment already, and she'd taken notes during class so she did not have to be subjected to the dull textbook later on.

She checked her schedule, frowning at the next subject, which had added a fine print telling her where to go. Saying good-bye to Vera and the rest, she descended several flights of stairs until she no longer saw floors, just a long spiral stairway to what had to be into the mountain itself.

At the end, it felt like a day but in reality only ten minutes had transpired, she reached a door that opened before she could touch it. On the other side was an impossible, beautiful sight. She beheld a huge cavern, in the which was a large pool of water, which glowed, lighting up the space. At the edge, only a few yards from where she stood, sat a man with his back to her.

She cleared her throat, announcing her presence to him and the entire cave, as the sound echoed across the surface of the small lake. The man didn't move, so she walked towards him, setting down her bag and sitting down beside him. "Are you the meditation teacher?"

"I am many tings," the deep voice replied, the accent rich and unfamiliar to her. "But for now, I am your guide."

Lian looked up into his face, which was difficult to make out in the light from the water, but eventually she realized he was the teacher from Africa. _What was his name? Kamu?_

"I have been informed by da headmasta dat you have a great ability to look into da minds of uddas." said Kamu. "Wid dis great gift, you must masta restraint. An so, each day I will help you learn how to focus on your own mind."

"I have a question," Lian said.

"I have a ansa."

"What do I call you?"

"Kamau."

"Okay. What happens if I don't come to these sessions in the future?"

"You cheat yourself. It will not affect me."

"So what's my motivation to come?"

"Your mind is always active, even when it has no reason to be. Eventually you'll seek peace; and you'd be grateful had you come and sat wid me. Or...you could suffer. Da choice is yours," said Kamau, shrugging his big shoulders. Each one was the size of a quaffle.

Lian couldn't think of a counter argument, so she copied his position and focused on her breath.

 **A/N:** **Please Review! The legend of Red Sky is from my brain, in case y'all were wondering.**

 **Also; I don't know how Ilvermorny works in JK Rowlings head, so this is how it works in my head.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Catch a Falling Star

**Chapter 6**

 _Catch a Falling Star_

"What this place really needs is a study of magical creatures class, you know? Help us understand the meaning behind the animals that represent our Houses and what not." Lian ignored the exasperated glance that her friends exchanged as she spoke. "Seriously, I mean Hogwarts has had one for years according to my great uncle, and no one can give me a decent reason why Ilvermorny hasn't followed suit."

Professor Butler's eye twitched. It wasn't the first time Lian had asked a question or proposed a topic that had nothing to do with Charms, and it was only October. "Indeed? How curious." He cleared his throat and returned to the textbook. "With your _permission_ Ms. Kowalski," he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "May I return to the lesson?"

Lian sighed and sat back in her chair, disappointed. "Yes, sir." Laura and Angie had often mentioned how Professor Butler was a very wise man with an answer for every student's question. . .evidently that courtesy did not apply to her questions on the way Ilvermorny was run. _Maybe it would save time and energy if I just approached Professor Fontaine with my ideas._

After a thrilling lesson on sun-related charms, (lighting the tip of your wand like a No-Maj flashlight without the batteries, shooting enough sparks out the end to cause a fire, and a heat charm that could burn you if used incorrectly,) Lian found herself in the courtyard, writing up a list of things that Ilvermorny needed to change. Her mother's promise that she'd send her to Hogwarts if she had good reasons after the first week had proved faulty. Lian had been so overwhelmed by the end of the first week that she forgot to focus on the bad aspects of the school. Now that she was stuck for at least the end of her first year, she figured she might as well make the best of her situation.

She was interrupted when someone plopped their bag down on the bench where she was working. Looking up, she recognized another first year, but she did not remember her name. The girl smiled politely—or it was supposed to be a smile, it was more like a grimace to be honest—and then began to dig through her bag for something.

Clearing her throat, Lian decided she would talk to her. "Hi."

The girl ignored her, continuing to rummage through her bag determinedly. Lian cleared her throat to give the girl another chance, but was ignored a second and third time. Finally, she reached out and tapped the girl on the shoulder. She jumped and looked up quickly, her dark hair whipping back. She raised her eyebrows and blinked.

"Uh, hello," said Lian. "My name's Lian, I'm a first year like you. What's your name?"

The girl watched her lips very closely when Lian spoke, and then when she replied it was with her hands and mouth. After three words, Lian realized the girl was deaf, but could read lips very well. "Hey, my name is A-I-S-H-A," she spelled out her name with the signals for each letter as she pronounced them in her different accent. Lian tried hard not to make a face, as she didn't want to appear as rude as Aisha had previously appeared to be. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, thank you for asking." A quick look-see in Aisha's memories taught her all she needed to know about ASL. She signed, "How do you like this school?"

Aisha looked startled as Lian finished signing, but smiled all the same. "I love it!"

"Why?"

Aisha hesitated, then began moving her hands faster than she could enunciate. "I like learning, and the teachers I have follow the textbook so I always know what's going on, not to mention all the spells are taught non-verbally anyway so I'm already ahead of the game in that sense." A small frown graced her lips as she paused.

Lian signed. "But?"

"It's just…hard to make friends I guess. They all look at me and wonder why magic can't fix me, or what's wrong with me or how are they supposed to talk to me…you're the first one to try. How did you learn ASL?" she gave Lian an expectant look, but something about her dark eyes gave Lian to know that she better not lie.

"Can you keep a secret?" Aisha nodded, gesturing at herself in an ' _obviously_ ' kind of way. "I'm a Legilimens. I learned it from you."

Aisha frowned further, but she didn't seem upset. "What are you talking about? What's L-E-G-I-L-I-M-E-N-S?"

 _It would be so much easier to show you but oh well!_ Lian tried her best to explain via sign language. "I can see the memories and feel the emotions of those around me. I was born with the ability, like my grandmother. It's a little annoying sometimes, because if I get too deep in a memory, I faint."

Aisha laughed. It was an amazing noise, and caused Lian to laugh too. "That's really cool. Will you always remember ASL now?"

"Only if I have a reason to use it." _I should do this with languages more often._ "I probably won't remember it when you're not around, but if you are, I will."

Aisha looked very happy with this news. "Will you be my friend?"

Lian smiled, well aware that she was still holding a list of reasons and ways that Ilvermorny had to change. This girl had a few reasons to not want to go to this school, like the way kids their age acted towards her. But she was here, and she was making the most of it. _Okay. I'll give the school one year to change my mind. If not, I'm going to Hogwarts next year._

She nodded, shoving her list away into her bag. "Of course I will," she replied.

—

The Alchemist's wing was unique to the main structure of the castle. As Lian made her way along the corridor she recognized that she was walking upon a kind of metal, not stone. The walls were definitely made of stone, in the way that contractors used granite pieces instead of brick. But the walls here were not strictly granite, Lian saw more than twelve materials lining her path. Her attention was so captured with the purposeful design that she nearly walked past the office.

Backtracking quickly she knocked politely, using the iron knocker as the solid door might have broken her hand.

"Come in," came the soft voice from within. Lian pushed at the door for a few seconds before realizing she needed to be pulling instead. As solid as it was, the door opened swiftly and quietly. Inside the modestly sized room sat a woman with blonde hair pulled up into a knot, her wide brown eyes zeroing in on Lian at once. "Close the door behind you."

Lian took the chance to observe the room; it had been years since her last visit. It was still lined with bookcases, each shelf home to heavy volumes, some written in old languages like Latin, or science. The wooden desk was simple, and built to the purpose of efficiency. It was filled, Lian knew, with bottles and boxes of strange chemicals and elements of which she remembered only half the names. Behind the woman in the chair was a large window overlooking the fog outside.

Lian took a seat without invitation, slipping her shoes off and curling her feet beneath her on the cushion. "Hello Aunt May," she greeted casually.

Aunt May rolled her eyes. "And you wonder why I didn't put you in my class. If you'd walked into my Alchemy lab and taken your shoes off I'd be inclined to transmute them."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Lian replied, shrugging. "You wanted to talk to me?" She pulled out a note from her robe pocket, flashing it at her aunt.

"Yeah kid," Aunt May sighed. "I was talking to Professors Rappaport, Kamau, Butler and Lestoat; four teachers who are under the impression that you might be magically challenged."

Lian felt her face flush with color, and her eyes dropped to the floor in shame. "Even Kamau?"

"Yes, who let you join an advanced class in your first year, on my recommendation and that of Professor Wolfe's. But he and the rest are concerned at your lack of results. To clarify that's Charms, both Transfigurations and Defense Against the Dark Arts where you are at the very bottom of the class. You've waited your whole life to wield magic-what's up, kid?"

Wishing she knew how to disapparate, Lian reluctantly answered. "I suck."

"Julianne Queenie Kowalski, sit up straight and give me a real answer!"

As though she'd been electrocuted, Lian obeyed and made eye contact with May. "I suck!"

May pursed her lips, then reached into one of her drawers, withdrawing a small crystal vial. Inside was a kind of dust or something, Lian only knew that it was colorless. "Tell me what you think this is."

 _Oh here we go. A "lesson"_. Lian exhaled through her nose as she leaned toward the desk to get a better look. At her aunt's encouragement, she held it in her hand, it was kind of heavy and warm, and then she held it up to the light, wondering if the crystal was making rainbow lights dance across the bookshelves. She then removed the stopper and gave the dust a sniff, before resealing it and placing it back on the desk before May. "I don't know."

"Take a guess."

"I know what it looks like, but I know it can't be that."

"Explain."

Lian huffed. She had a potion essay she could be doing now. "It looks like dust gathered from one of the many books in this room but it isn't because it's been kept in that vial for a very long time. Who keeps dust in crystal? Also, you keep it in your desk drawer so it's important, and within reach so it's important to you."

May smiled, but her eyes looked smug. "Good assessment." She picked up the vial delicately between her index finger and thumb, examining it carefully as she continued to speak. "This material does not come often, nor is it readily found. The casual observer such as yourself may eye it skeptically and judge it on the five senses available. However, until you discover its purpose, you'll never be able to guess at what it is, how it works." She paused, allowing her words to sink in. Then she offered the vial to Lian. "I want you to keep it, until you can tell me what's inside."

Lian hesitated, just short of accepting the dust. "Why?"

"Because if you return it to me still convinced that its useless dust gathered from my book collection, then maybe your time at Ilvermorny has been wasted and you'd rather follow in your father's footsteps." She replied curtly. "Prove to me otherwise. Prove you're a witch, capable of commanding magic, rather than letting it roll over you."

"Are you saying that my professors think I'm a Squib?" Lian said incredulously. "Just because I'm falling a bit behind? But I got the dream! And I've got Legilimency! I have magic, you know I do—otherwise what am I doing here!?" She was raising her voice but did not care. Maybe if she yelled she could make books fly off the shelves. It happened when she was seven, so why not happen again?

"It's happened before," was the reply. "You know it has."

"I am my mother's daughter. I am a witch!"

Aunt May stood, moving to the solid metal door and pushing it open, indicating that it was time for Lian to leave. "If you solve this mystery, it proves you're a witch. If not…then I suppose we all overestimated you."

Reluctantly, Lian moved to the doorframe, glaring up at her aunt the whole way. May was still offering the vial, which Lian accepted, albeit bad-temperedly. "If I pass your little test…will you put me in your Alchemy class?"

Aunt May studied her for a minute. "Your admittance to an Alchemy class requires progress in both Potions and Transfiguration studies. Pass my little test all you want; until you start moving forward in this school, what I say will matter very little."

—

Three weeks passed since May's chat. Lian kept the crystal vial in her inner robe pocket, right next to her wand. Every so often, when she'd finished homework or grown tired of her ineptitude, she'd take it out and examine the dust over again.

Eventually she'd gone to the library and read up on rare elements that Alchemists highly valued. It didn't resemble salt in anyway, nor any manner of earth. It wasn't ash from any kind of fire she was familiar with, and it certainly didn't smell like sulfur. She wondered if it was crushed remains of one of the seven planetary metals, like lead, mercury or silver. No such luck. She tried asking Professor Thorn, the potions instructor, for his input, but once he laid eyes on the vial he smiled and shook his head, refusing to help.

Approximately twenty-two days after she'd first received the dust, she had an idea how she might discover what it was. After a chilling and disappointing argument with the Librarian over whether she could borrow a book on the laws of Alchemy; Lian crept into May's office during dinner and took the same volume from her collection. She occupied an unused room near the loft, sat on the floor near the tall windows and began to scan the pages until she found what she was looking for—the section on equivalent exchange.

It was the first law, and one of the first things she'd read about at the start of this venture but overlooked. Desperate and frustrated, and slightly afraid that she might not belong at any magical school, she returned to basics.

Alchemy was a unique subject, in that it was difficult for anyone to master if they didn't have the proper balance. Many pureblood wizards, for example, struggled to comprehend the laws of Alchemy, because they hadn't been exposed to the proper sciences. _Any kind of magicfolk,_ Aunt May had told her years ago, _that hides away from the No-Majs and their world with their ideas, is kidding themselves. There's more of them then of us; and most of their ideas are actually pure genius. Do you know how many No-Maj things you have in your house? "'Lectric lights, toaster, microwave, car, and the telephone."_ Lian had answered then. Aunt May had nodded sagely. _And they're not even to blend in; No-Majs can't find your house, can they? Your parents are just smarter than most people._ She always claimed that she was doomed to be an Alchemist since the day she was born, being equally exposed to the No-Maj life through her brother and father, but able to submerge in the wizarding community via her mother, aunt, uncle and school. An Alchemist had to understand both worlds. To be skilled in Potions, Transfiguration, and Science. Purebloods could learn, of course, but it was more difficult for them to learn it the seven years they worked in school. Even May had gone to the Salem Witches Institution for extra study.

It was lucky she had, else Lian and her brothers and sister might not exist.

Finally, she located the right page, filled with notes and illustrations for what she needed to do to 'pass'. Mouth dry, she withdrew her wand to point it at the circle inscribed on the paper, before pointing it in the air. She didn't expect it work immediately, if at all; so when a fiery script began to appear where she traced her wand, she almost broke concentration out of surprise. Once the circle was complete, she checked the book, then held out her right hand, palm forward; she waved her wand and the circle shrunk before it etched itself onto her hand. It stung worse than a jellyfish, and she was glad the room was empty so no one heard the curse that escaped her mouth.

"What the heck are you doing?" Lian jumped about three feet in the air, turning to see Scott Dunaeva standing in the doorway. _Should've locked that. My bad._

"Experimenting," she answered casually. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Wondering how you got a book that clearly isn't meant for you." He said, frowning at the encyclopedia sized volume at her feet. He crossed the room and tried to look at her hand, but she shoved it into her robes.

"None of your business, Scott."

"I can make it my business," Lian detected a challenge in there somewhere.

"Whatever. You can't stop me." She withdrew the crystal vial and took it in her left hand, removed the stopper and poured the dust into her right palm. It looked so small and insignificant, reminiscent of how Lian felt in classes where she failed to perform magic properly. Scott asked a question but she was ignoring him so it didn't matter what he had said. Glancing at the book for confirmation, she clapped her hands together, focusing on the circle she'd seared into her palm.

At first, she felt like an idiot, as nothing happened. Then she saw a spark. And then another. Suddenly the circle expanded, shooting outwards from her palm in a wave of smoke, as her hand practically sizzled with magic.

When it stopped, she hesitated for quite a while before she opened her hands. What if she'd just made the dust disappear? At least Scott was a witness-whatever had just happened was the mark of a witch and not a Squib.

"What the heck was that?" asked Scott, staring at Lian's hands as though afraid they were about to explode. Again. "W-what did you do?"

Lian slowly peeled her hands apart from the thumb to the pinky, peering at the object in her grasp cautiously. "Equivalent exchange…I hope…"

Instantly Scott was at her shoulder and staring at the thing in her palm. "What is that?"

Lian shrugged. "I have…no idea." She dropped the item in the crystal vial where it made a soft *plink* and then replaced the stopper. "See ya later, Scott," she said vaguely, picking up the heavy book, moving past him and out of the room. She had to tell Aunt May.

—

She intended to return the book to its shelf before Aunt May noticed it was missing, but unfortunately, her aunt was overseeing a detention with a student Lian didn't recognize when she walked into the office. Both May and the student, a boy with dark hair and hazel eyes, looked around as the solid metal door swung outward and revealed her standing there, clutching a book that was half her size. Lian sensed that it was improper for her to enter, but she did anyway, marched to the shelf where the sizable gap was waiting for her, and returned _Alchemic Law_ to its place.

"Ms. Kowalski what in the name of Merlin were you doing with that book?" Aunt May demanded, her tone serious. Lian noticed that she was trying to be professional by using titles, but it was slightly defeated by the fact that Lian would now be obliged to return the favor.

"I was returning your book, Professor Kowalski. I borrowed it for the evening without your permission, but was able to accomplish the task you set for me. Should I report to you tonight or wait until tomorrow?"

"Wait—" the boy looked from Lian to May as the surnames flew around. Lian didn't blame him—no one would guess by looking at them that they were related. Her bone structure took after the Strother's, not her father's side of the family.

"You will take a seat and join Mr. Quince in detention." May said sharply.

"On what grounds, ma'am?" she added the pronoun quickly.

"Stealing from a teacher," Aunt May gestured to a chair and desk that had not been there a second ago. It was placed beside the afore-mentioned Mr. Quince, who looked bewildered. "Sit."

Sensing this was a battle she shouldn't try to fight, Lian sat, but glared at Aunt May the entire way down. "Am I to write lines, ma'am?" That's what Mr. Quince appeared to be doing.

"There's a line I'd like you to memorize, unfortunately there isn't a piece of parchment in the world that would fit it all." May muttered under her breath. "No, instead you're going to rearrange my bookshelves. Presently they are Z-A by author, I should like them to be A-Z by title. You will remain in your seat and only use magic." She declared with a decidedly smug expression. "I have a staff meeting to attend. Please make some progress in my absence."

 _Oh sweet cheese._ Lian gulped, withdrawing her wand from her robes. Her first attempt at getting all the books off the shelves in one smooth motion failed miserably. Only a leaflet on making Alchemy your career flopped onto the rug, and that could have been the rush of air that came in as the heavy door shut behind Aunt May. She glanced towards the boy, who was watching her with raised eyebrows.

"Pitiful." He muttered, before taking up his quill and returning to his lines. Lian tried to see what he was writing, but he was so bent over his work his head and shoulder kept getting in the way.

She turned back to the bookshelves, her face burning, and tried again. And again. And again. Around the seventeenth attempt she was ready to set fire to the small library, but couldn't remember the spell, when Mr. Quince had a suggestion. He got her attention with a small cough. Turning on him she growled, "What!"

"Try _locomotor,_ " he said patiently, not looking up from his lines.

" _I am!_ " she lied, glaring back at the books and concentrating. _Locomotor books!_ There was a slight tremble through her wand, copied by a shiver through one shelf on the right, and then four books skipped into the air. Lian was so relieved she accidentally released the spell and they dropped to the rug with several thuds.

"Someone wasn't paying attention to Butler the first week of Charms," she heard Quince chuckle behind her. She refused to look at him, not wanting to see a taunt or mocking expression on his face. _He doesn't know a thing about me! How dare he laugh at my failure! I'll show him I…wait._

She closed her eyes and tapped into his mind. It was almost too easy, like his mind was a free scoop of ice cream. He was young, probably her age—which meant he was only a first year. He'd gotten into trouble with May because he'd punched a student in her class—no, during her class. He was in her Alchemy class and he was only a first year. There was more—he was also in the Wandlore class and the Self-Transfiguration class, and Ancient Runes! All the advanced classes?! What kind of sick genius was this guy? She dug further, seeing his family, his siblings and there were many, his mother who seemed to be a very domineering woman, no actual mention of his father—because he'd never known him. He'd been reading all his older siblings textbooks since he learned how to read—school was basically inessential at this point, he could probably take the NEWT exams tomorrow and pass with honors. Likely the only thing holding him back was his attitude problem, Lian felt his anger more than anything, and something else…something he didn't want anyone to know about…something dark.

She withdrew from his mind with a gasp, and almost fell out of her chair. Her head was spinning, or maybe it was the room, either way it was nauseating. Vaguely, she heard Quince speaking to her.

"What?" she mumbled, turning to look at him.

"I asked if you were feeling okay, you went all quiet and then jerked back—were you having an episode or are you just that bad at magic?" Lian couldn't tell if he was concerned or dismissive.

"I just realized something," she replied vaguely.

"What's that?"

"Nothing important. What are you in here for?" she asked, only to change the subject. She'd already seen the memory of what landed him in here.

"Got in a fight. Could've been worse though—my punishment, not the fight. Professor Kowalski's a lenient teacher, she's probably one of my favorites." He gave her a searching look, and Lian knew he wanted her to explain his favorite teacher's relation to her, a random student who steals advanced books about subjects she's not taking.

"Hm. Well you know why I'm here so let's get back to it then," she said brusquely, swiveling in her seat to try and move the books once more.

"Oh, come on," he said from behind her. "We both know you're not gonna make any progress with that anyway. Chat with me."

 _Oh you little—_ "I'm only a first year, practical magic is still a work in progress."

"I'm a first year too, and I could have it done in under two minutes."

"Yeah, right," Lian scoffed. "Big talk from the guy who doesn't have to do it."

"I really could though," he said confidently.

Lian glanced at him over her shoulder, rolling her eyes. "Uh huh. Sure."

"Don't believe me? Watch this!" He withdrew his wand and jabbed it at the bookshelves. All at once the books began to move, shuffling themselves and skipping up and down the length of the bookcases to reorganize themselves the way Aunt May had instructed. Lian watched with a mixture of annoyance and dismay. Once every book had found its new spot, and the whole office had been coated in displaced dust, she turned back to face Quince, who wore a smirk on his face. "That's how it's done. Now you—" he went to undo all that effort with another jab of his wand, but Lian disarmed him quickly—it was the one spell her wand could do without any hiccups. She caught his wand in her right hand and tucked it into her robes. It was her turn to smirk.

"Thanks."

"Give me my wand back!"

"No." Lian didn't remember standing, but somehow, they were facing off; he was trying to advance and she was ducking around him.

"Give it, you were supposed to do all that not—" he dived for her while he was mid-speech, a trick she knew well. She dodged just in time, and he collided with the heavy metal door. "Ow."

"You were the one who was so desperate to show off. If you weren't here in the first place I wouldn't have had to do any of that anyway. The only reason May gave me this sad excuse for a punishment was because she didn't want to show any special treatment towards me."

He turned on her, rubbing his forehead where a big red mark was forming. "Did you just call her by her first name?"

"Yeah, she's my aunt. I couldn't call her 'professor' with a straight face, even if I wanted to."

Quince looked rather taken aback by this revelation. He hesitated, then said, "The book you had with you. Why did you take it?"

Lian slowly reached into her robes for the crystal vial. She held it up for him to see, saying, "She gave me a challenge about three weeks ago. I was out of ideas so I borrowed the book."

He approached her, but she backed up until her backside hit the desk. "Let me see,"

She hid it in her hand. "Only if you promise you won't reset the bookshelves."

He frowned at her, sighing. She knew his curiosity would outweigh his morality. "Fine. Give it." She placed the crystal vial reluctantly in his hand, and he held it up to his eyes. They looked green under direct light, but earlier, when he was upset she'd disarmed him, they'd been brown. "It looks like a piece of a star."

"Yeah, right," Lian rolled her eyes. No way her aunt had allowed her to walk around carrying stardust in her pocket. What if she'd lost it?

"No, really, she showed us pictures of fallen stars in class a few weeks ago. They're extremely rare and have untold magical capabilities. What did she tell you to do with it?"

"When she gave it to me it was nothing more than dust." Lian answered, trying to hint at how ridiculous he sounded.

"And you restored it, how?" He glanced towards the bookcase and his eyes widened. "Equivalent exchange? Nice."

"She wanted me to learn something from this, though what, I have no idea." _Now, why did I go and tell him that?_

"I could tell you what she told us in that lesson," he offered.

"In exchange for what?"

"You can tell me why you really can't perform magic, though I've already come to several conclusions on my own." he went on before she could object. "She told us about how stars were made. The time it takes, and even how rare it is to find a piece of one on earth. And then she tied it off by saying that we could all become great Alchemists if we put in the time and effort. It wasn't gonna happen overnight, but it would be worth it in the end."

"Great. Well I'm probably not going to be an Alchemist because I can't perform basic magic, as you saw. That doesn't mean I can't throw a punch." she grumbled.

He licked his lips before speaking. "I think by letting you figure out the stardust, she was hoping you would realize that even though you're not making the leaps and bounds in magic that you expected, you still have a lot of time ahead of you. Maybe she thinks you're inclined to throw in the towel, but whatever it is, you need to chill out."

He made sense, but she didn't like it. "You don't know a thing about me."

"Nor you me." he gave a friendly smile. "What is your name?"

"...Lian."

"I'm Adam." He went to return to his desk before he looked back at her. "Can I have my wand back now?"

 **Author's Note:** **This took me about a week to write-because now I have homework! Please comment and tell me what you think, and whether or not you'd like to hear more about Ilvermorny and classes, or if I should just focus on the people or Lian herself. Anything is possible!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Animal

**Chapter 7**

 _Animal_

Once November settled around Ilvermorny castle, the castle became unbearably cold at all times. Freshly laundered robes appeared in their bedrooms, made of a thicker material and with longer lengths to help keep them warm. A few students with bad blood circulation took to wearing extra pairs of socks and gloves in the corridors.

For Kamau's class, he had them meet in the cave beneath the school. Lian was grateful for this, because the heat from the water made it the warmest spot on the whole mountain, right after the center of a fire. Unfortunately when she arrived down there with the rest of the class, the entire place was frigid and unwelcoming. The few students present stood in a huddle, trying to stay warm like a raft of penguins. His lessons to this point had merely covered the world history of Animagi; Lian suspected he was stalling until he gathered his full first year class. By this time he'd collected her, Scott, Aisha, Jason, Matt, Vera, Anders, and of course Adam.

Kamau called for them to sit on the cave floor. Lian hissed as the chilled surface made contact with the back of her legs. Matt made a point of sitting beside her, while Aisha took the other side. Vera sat with Anders to her back left while Jason sat directly behind. The raft formation remained, even as Scott and Adam sat in front of her.

Kamau began to speak in his thick accent, which Lian only assumed she was understanding correctly. His accent became thicker when he talked for a long period of time, for instance: lectures. He told a story about the first Animagus in Uganda, how blending in with the animal kingdom became an essential part of African wizarding survival. He then demonstrated his own transformation, shifting into a large, full-tusked elephant. He waved his trunk at them before releasing a loud trumpet. Lian covered her ears, suddenly understanding why he held class in the cave. He wouldn't have fit into the classroom without knocking down all four walls first.

"Dos anyone know da 'istory of Animagi in America?" Professor Kamau asked after he shifted back into a man.

Lian's hand was in the air seconds after Adam's. Kamau nodded at the boy to answer. "The indigenous people of North America had legends of evil magicians who could transform into an animal at will-these were called Skinwalkers. The story was that they gained these powers through human sacrifice, usually a family member. While the legend was based in fact because Native American Animagi did actually exist-there were enough No-Maj men who were parading as seers that spread the fear and falsehoods as far and wide as they could."

"Skinwalkers. All you had to say, was Skinwalkers." Lian muttered under her breath, while Kamau praised Adam for his thoroughly in depth answer.

"Divide in two groups of four," Kamau instructed. "One will discuss the advantages of becoming an animal at will, the other will assess the disadvantages."

Moments later, Lian found herself facing Aisha, Matt, and Anders. She hadn't spoken to Matt in a few weeks and she'd never said a word to Anders. Aisha smiled shyly, and began to sign rapidly. "One of the advantages I think would be the ability to communicate with animals."

Lian signed, "I'm not sure it works that way, at least not in the way you'd imagine."

Anders and Matt watched their exchange in mild confusion. "What is happening right now?" the latter asked, eying Lian as she signed her reply as she spoke aloud.

"Aisha's deaf," Anders adopted a look of comprehension while Matte devolved to annoyance.

"Just when did you learn ASL-" he began but she cut him off.

"We don't have time for this. What are the pros of becoming an animal at will?"

Anders had a few ideas that Lian agreed with, Matt was only pessimistic as usual while Aisha remained innocently naive about what it meant to transform into an animal. After about fifteen minutes of this, Kamau recalled their attention.

"Debate." was all the instruction he gave, and on some level it was all they needed.

Adam, Vera, Jason and Scott all looked determined, but their expressions were not unlike those who had just felt bile creeping up the esophagus.

Lian spread her hands in a welcoming gesture. "You can go first."

"Thanks," said Adam, smiling confidently. "Other than the obvious difficulty of acquiring the skill of Animagi; it has been known to end in disaster more often than not. Examples range from permanent half-human, half-animal mutations, to the incapability to return to human form once the deed is done."

"Not only that," Vera spoke up from his side, "but the form an Animagus takes is not chosen individually, rather it is the one thing magic cannot change. Once a wizard develops this skill, there is no changing the animal they transform into." She glanced at Adam as if asking for confirmation on whether she said that correctly, and not to Lian's surprise, he nodded slightly.

 _I'm surprised he didn't write out notecards for them to memorize._

"Many wizarding folk believe," Scott picked up where Vera left off. Lian was well aware that Jason was being quiet on the matter, likely because the idea intrigued him so much he couldn't find an inner dislike for it. "That their time and efforts are better spent on more applicable skills, as the practicality of self-transfiguration is limited."

"In short," Adam said with a note of finality. "We conclude that becoming an Animagus is dangerous and a waste of magic." He nodded at Lian. "Your argument?"

Lian's group pushed her forward, which she neither minded nor needed; Aisha still didn't understand half of their conversation, Matt hated talking in front of people and Anders was a boy of very few words. "Right. Taking your objections and bearing them in mind, we still stand by the positives of the Animagus ability. The process is indeed long and arduous, and has the potential to backfire-but we're masters of magic. Just about every subject we tackle has the potential to backfire. If you tried living life without getting a little broken here and there you'd never do anything. I notice that you all used the term 'skill' when describing Animagi, and while you're correct, it is a skill inasmuch as it is something to be learned, not passed on; once it is obtained it becomes an ability, the definition of which is something that can be done without assistance, at will, without the use of a wand. We've all dueled in DADA classes, we know what its like to watch our wand fly out of our hands while we're helpless to stop it or fight back after its gone-" she gave Adam a smug glance before continuing on. "Imagine that scenario ten years in the future. You're a fully-fledged witch or wizard, powerful spells at your command so long as you can keep ahold of that little stick you've got in your hand. What if you lose it? What if it breaks? What happens when your wand is taken and you've no chance to retrieve it? What use is a witch or wizard without their wand?"

"In ten years? I plan to have learned wandless magic by then-" said Adam cockily.

"Shut up. Now-" before Lian could continue, Kamau stepped between the groups.

"Well said, all of you." he said, his dark eyes taking in all eight of them. "Now is the time to decide. I have selected each of you for my class, and you have had ample time to weigh the consequences of this study. Take my class and I guarantee in three years from this day you could each become Animagi. But I cannot teach those who do not wish to learn. How many of you will stay?"

They looked around at each other, and Lian saw hesitance in nearly every face. Jason was the first to speak up. "I'll study. I mean, transforming into an animal? That'd be sick!"

"I'm out," said Matt, stepping away from the group. "I didn't realize this was a practical class-I thought it was just the theory."

 _That's not true._ Lian thought, frowning at him. _You just want less classes with Jason._

"Me too," said Vera, approaching Matt. "Sorry, Professor."

"I'll stay." said Anders, surprising just about everyone.

"So will I," Adam looked across to Lian, raising a single eyebrow. Lian looked to Aisha, who was shuffling her feet. At length, she signed her answer, and approached Vera and Matt, shortly followed by Scott.

Kamau was watching her closely. _On the one hand, it's not like I'm in any other advanced classes...on the other, I've already got one magnificent ability I can barely handle under my belt...on the third hand that doesn't exist, if I manage to transform into an animal, I might finally get a break from diving into the emotions and memories of others. I wonder what that's like...but is it worth the risk?_ She reached into her robes and withdrew her wand. She looked at the base, still unsure of what the animal head carved there was supposed to be. She tossed it up, watching it spin through the air before catching it again, by the tip, where the animal head faced Kamau.

"Stay it is." she murmured, turning her back on Matt, Aisha, Vera and Scott.

"Shoulda known," she heard Matt say.

* * *

She pulled Adam aside after Kamau finally released them to go to their Houses for dinner. "What do you think you're doing?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "I thought I was about to enjoy some chicken pot pie before I started in on my homework, but apparently that's going to have to wait." Taking in Lian's irritable expression, he added, "You're not going to take my wand away again, are you?"

"No." she said patiently. "And no. I want to know what you think you're going to accomplish by taking Kamau's class?"

Adam lowered his eyebrows and frowned. "I don't believe that's any of your business."

 _Yeah, well, I'm making it my business._ Lian refused to let him leave, even going so far as to dragging him into the library to prevent him from just walking away from her. "Look, you have to know that Self-Transfiguration isn't going to work out for you."

Glancing around at the tall shelves, his reply was evasive. "Is that so?"

 _Great. It's not like I can come out and say it._ "I know what you are." _Fudge!_

He blinked slowly at Lian, and while he was excellent at controlling his face muscles, his mind was wide open. He hadn't expected her to say what was on her mind, neither had he anticipated that he would be found out. This was only their second time speaking to one another, after all. "Do you?"

His mind gave way to another voice, that belonged to neither of them, well not technically. It's whispers spooked Lian more than she'd ever admit, but she held firm, determined to see this through. "Yes."

On the chance that anyone else in the library was dropping eaves, Lian reached for a book on the shelf above us, having to stand on the tips of her toes to get there. Heaving the volume into her embrace, she heard Adam mutter behind her, "What is it with you and freakishly heavy books?"

"Shut up." she grumbled, flipping through the book until she located the correct chapter, on page three-hundred and ninety-four. Tapping the chapter heading, she looked up at Adam, who was watching her instead of the page. "See?"

"What are you going to do about it?" he asked, eyes not leaving her face. They looked green again, with a few specks of gold in them now. He moved closer, and Lian's irrational side told her to back up, but her stubborn side won out and she stood still. "Are you scared of me?"

"I'm not confronting you," she said plainly. "I'm emphasizing my argument that Kamau's class will be a waste of your time."

"He teaches his students to become Animagi, yes," Adam said, beginning to agree, but there was something else in his voice. "But there is an advantage in understanding the process and signs of an Animagus, even without achieving that skill. So why don't you get off your high horse, and let me worry about my education and watch you struggle with yours."

Lian felt her face grow warm. "That wasn't necessary; I only thought that if you were trying to keep up an appearance there wasn't any point-"

"Or maybe you just want to be in a class that I'm not already taking, to prove that you have something over me." He shot back, and for a moment she couldn't reply. "That's what I thought."

Still keeping his eyes trained on her face as though he was trying to memorize it, he reached a hand down and closed the Defense Against Magical Creatures book with a snap. He was halfway past her when her hand moved on its own and grabbed his arm, and for a moment they stayed locked in a sideways glare, silently speaking volumes.

After a minute, or possibly several sunlit days, Adam voiced the one question that was gnawing away at him inside. "How did you know?"

It was Lian's turn to look smug. "I might not have mastered Charms yet, but I'm actually quite perceptive. There's very little I don't know."

Adam mirrored her expression, raising a single eyebrow and quirking up the corner of his mouth. "Like how it's not you that can't do magic, it's your wand that won't?"

Lian blinked, completely thrown by his words. "What?"

"Good evening." he said with a grin, pulling his arm out of her grip and disappearing down the aisle and out of the library. She was left standing there on the edge of the school library, with no answers and all the questions.

 _Not quite how I thought this conversation would go._ She thought, hefting up the book and shoving it back onto its shelf.

* * *

Shikoba Wolfe wasn't an easy teacher to find, particularly because she wasn't in his class, or had the slightest idea where his office was, or even saw him on a regular basis. Being as stubborn as a mule, Lian refused to ask Adam where she could find him, so it wasn't until December that she located the Native American wand maker, completely on accident, at that.

In taking a wrong turn to the girls' bathroom, she stumbled upon him reading a dusty old book in the teacher's lounge-also something she didn't think existed. Without thinking she mumbled a hasty apology and ran to take care of her more pressing problem. After she'd finished though, Lian realized she'd finally found the ever elusive professor, and paced up and down the corridor, trying to remember which door she'd stumbled upon in the first place.

"The teacher's lounge is three doors to your left," said a deep voice from behind her, causing her to jump about six inches off the ground. "But I'll wager your grievance lies with me."

Lian spun around to face Professor Wolfe's torso, tilting her head back until she could stare up his beak of a nose. His long hair was braided today, his tri-colored robes with their patterns stirring her thoughts into wonder. She'd recognized it that first night when she'd come to the castle, but she realized it once again as she gazed at him. He looked so wonderfully out of place, it was as if he were a fraction of her imagination brought to life. "I need a new wand."

"You have one." he replied, his dark eyes penetrating her soul.

"Maybe," she reluctantly took out her wand and held it up for him to see. "It won't work. I'm failing at least three classes because of it."

The old wand maker gently took her wand and inspected it briefly. "I made this wand in 1975, upon the recommendation of a young man. He was unable to claim it after it was crafted, due to unforeseen circumstances, but I kept it all the same, believing that one day it would call to a new master." He traced his index finger along the magical instrument, explaining to her more, "I carved it from pine wood, which means that this wand has chosen an independent, individual master who could be perceived as a loner, intriguing and perhaps mysterious. Pine wands enjoy being used creatively, and unlike some others, will adapt to new methods and spells."

"You talk about wands," Lian began cautiously. "Like they can think for themselves."

"Why shouldn't they? If you were destined to spend your existence in the hands of one person forever, wouldn't you like to at least be the one who decides which hands you fall into?" Wolfe quizzed, his expression quite serious. Lian nodded mutely, still not quite comprehending one thing.

"So if it chose me, why won't it work for me?"

"Ah, that's where the core comes into play," the wand maker stated. "This young man who ordered the carving of this wand, in the last days of my work, came to me specifically because I was and am the only wand maker who worked with thunderbird tail feathers; they always made for an especially powerful wand. Powerful, but difficult to master, and good for transfiguration work." He placed the wand back in her hands. "Nothing worthwhile is ever easily obtained, Ms. Kowalski. If you really want a different wand, to take the simpler path, then maybe you are not as independent and individual as this special wand seemed to believe. It's not working as you hope because you are not working the way it hoped."

He gave her a meaningful nod, and she looked down at the wand in her hand, doubt still etched into the forefront of her mind. Her eyes rested momentarily on the carved animal head and she looked up to ask about it, only to find that the wand maker had vanished from the hallway.

 _Alright then, Wand, I think it's time you and I arranged a core to core,_ she thought determinedly. _I'm tired of feeling like a Squib, and watching me fail repeatedly can't be fun for you either._

The wand did not respond to her attempts to communicate, but if nothing else, she felt comfort from the words of the wand maker.


	8. Chapter 8 - Ollie

**Chapter 8**

 _Ollie_

The fog surrounded her completely. It was so thick, she could only see a few steps in either direction. Where were her parents? Her brother? Where was…

Bringing her hands up to cup her mouth, she yelled, "Mommy? Daddy?" Her voice was small and high pitched-she was young, very young. A chorus of her own voice echoed back to her, or rather the fog threw her own words around, refusing to let her cry penetrate the air. She heard herself whispering back eerily, mockingly, _...Mommy...Daddy…_ Undeterred, she tried again, louder this time. "Mommy I'm here!" _I'm here!...here!..._

She turned slowly on the spot. There was something about this moment that was very familiar. She knew she wasn't eleven, she was five years old. She was lost-she'd been out walking with her parents and her brothers when she'd been distracted by something and left the path. She wanted nothing more than to return to them now. Julianne took a few steps forward, doubted herself, and then turned back. She'd come from this direction...or maybe it had been that way. Where was her family?

"Daddy! Daddy where are you?" she called again, only encouraging the fog to mock by bouncing her own voice back. She thought she saw something large out of the corner of her eyes, but even as she turned around, swearing she heard breath that didn't belong to her lungs, she saw nothing. The breathing was growing louder in her ear, and as she swiveled on the spot she felt something pierce her stomach. Looking down she saw a large claw covered in dark red liquid protruding from her side. She looked up into the face of a giant, silvery thing with lots of sharp teeth, before it was consumed by fire and ran off. Placing a small hand over her wound, she remembered falling to the ground in a heap. Someone gathered her in their arms, someone in black robes with crest over their heart.

"Merlin!" It was a boy. An older boy...he sounded foreign. "You weren't kidding. Come on, stay awake!" Julianne's eyelids fluttered as she tried to remain conscious.

"Don't...leave…" she said faintly.

"It's okay," he assured her swiftly. "I'm not going anywhere." She saw him wave a wand over her body, and felt the pain fade away.

"Who are you?" she asked. She couldn't see his face clearly-her vision didn't seem to be working at all. Forcing her eyes open wide, she saw his head, that did not have facial features.

She awoke with a jerk, staring up into the eyes of her Uncle Anatoly. "You dreaming, sweet'art?"

Lian sniffed loudly, finding her hands clutching her side still. She lifted her shirt a fraction to look at the scar that marred her skin. Six years ago she'd been attacked by a hide behind in the forest on Long Island. She'd been rescued by a wizard she didn't know, and hadn't seen since. Her parents found her lying alone in the woods, unconscious and amateurishly healed, but alive. Her mother tried to use magic to remove the ugly scar on several occasions but Lian wouldn't let her. She kept it, to help her remember the faceless wizard. But why had she dreamed so clearly about it?

Anatoly shifted her feet so he could take a seat upon the sofa, worry written all over his face. Sitting up to face him properly, she said, "Did I miss the gingerbread house?"

"Yeah, but if you hurry you can help demolish the walls. I myself salvaged the chimney." He held up a rectangular cookie, covered in frosting and gumdrops before he finished it in one bite. "School tuckering you out, or it is this bloody weather?" He gesticulated toward the front window where they could watch the snow slowly burying the city.

Anatoly lived in Australia, where he worked with and protected No-Majs from Antipodean Opaleye's. Sure, the outback was famous for its large and dangerous creatures-but the majority of the population had no idea that their deserts played host to a multitude of magical wildlife. Great Uncle Newt nearly had kittens when Anatoly showed him pictures of the dragons. When Lian and Jacob had been younger, Anatoly used to promise to bring them a dragon egg for their birthday's.

"School. Definitely school," she replied at last. But she didn't want to talk about classes, or the frustration she got from knowing all the answers but never being able to beat out Quince for participation in class. And he couldn't even read the answers from the teacher like she could! "Hey...what do you remember about the day we...the day I was born?"

Her uncle smiled sadly beneath his beard. "Gave us all a scare. You came early, couldn't wait to come and say hi. Tiny, wrinkly thing you were, loud as a banshee and as small as cheese roll."

"What about Ollie?" The question was meant to catch him off-guard, and it did the job well. Lian often resented how the adults in her life wanted to pretend her brother didn't exist. It was easier for them, but so much worse for her.

"Oh, er, well...little bub was happy to let you do all the talking at first. Don't recall hearing any sort of gibberish from the little ankle biter until he could form complete sentences." Anatoly guffawed as he began to remember more clearly. "I remember I came to visit when you were turning two years old, and you were trying to convince May to adopt Jacob because 'you didn't _need_ another baby.' That's exactly what the cheeky bugger told me."

Lian chuckled. She liked hearing stories about her brother. It made his absence easier. "I wonder how upset he was when Mom told him Seraphina was on the way."

Anatoly flinched as though she'd slapped him, but she couldn't fathom why. She'd been very young when it had happened to Ollie, and only recalled flashes of the incident, which was weird because she'd been the exact same age when it happened as she'd been when she'd been attacked. Selective memory? Or perhaps the former was too terrible.

"Yeah...well, by then you two were experts at being the big sibling, it was Jacob's turn to panic." he said, shifting in his seat. A small part of Lian knew she shouldn't. But the shaken, longing and scared part of her was overwhelming. Anatoly was hiding something. Fortunately, she had the means to find out exactly what.

Under the pretense of cuddling, Lian closed her eyes and reached out to his mind. It was as easy as breathing, he was so open and vulnerable.

The memory that was right up at the top, the memory he couldn't suppress but would never share aloud, that was the one she reached for-immersing herself into it as though she had been an innocent bystander.

 _It was bright, and it took her a moment to recognize that she was in Central Park. She watched the young family cross the Gapstow bridge, the two boys holding hands for safety purposes, while Anatoly could be seen chasing her, as she was when she was little._

 _Jacob kept leaning toward the water, pointing at the duck and crying, "Ducky! Wanna swim wiff ducky!" while Ollie continued to heave him away from the edge of the bridge. Amaya and David strolled along behind the four of them-Mom was huge as though she'd unlocked her jaw and swallowed a prize pumpkin. Lian wouldn't have known it then but she recognized now that her mother was attempting to induce labor by going for a walk._

 _Anatoly chased little Julianne, pretending to be some monster or possibly an auror, it was difficult to tell which. Suddenly, someone Lian couldn't see on the other side of the bridge lifted her younger-self up, with unknown intentions. Julianne screamed, and suddenly, a low hanging branch came to life and whacked the stranger until they dropped Julianne and fled. Anatoly debated whether to give chase, but he settled for gathering his niece in his arms and comforting her. Amaya rushed over to assess whether or not her child was injured, when she gasped loudly and placed her hands on her stomach._

 _Ever the dutiful husband, Dad fetched a random object, a portkey Lian realized, holding it out for her to touch. She did so, looking at Anatoly with a fierce glare. "Get the children to their grandparents right away! David will come for them when it's over."  
_ " _Don't worry about a-" he began to reply, but in that moment, Mom and Dad were whisked away.  
Jacob hiccuped at Ollie's side. "Magic!"  
_" _Shh!" Ollie slapped a hand over his little brother's mouth. "Not 'post to tell!"_

 _Lian moved with the little group as they left the park. She didn't remember any of this. She had a bad feeling she was about to find out why._

 _Anatoly held little Julianne in his left arm, picking up Jacob with his right, while Ollie grabbed his coat pocket and followed closely. Just as they reached the sidewalk, watching the cars pass by, Ollie became distracted by a cluster of pigeons a few steps away. Anatoly was hailing a cab with as best as he could, while Julianne sat up on his shoulders, waving at nearly everybody who looked their way. Ollie side stepped cautiously, until he was sure that it was okay. Then he spooked the pigeons, so that they beat their wings and rose up from the ground a mere fraction before landing back down, where he was free to scare them all over again._

 _Unseen to the little group, (the uncle and the sister trying to flag down a cabby brave enough to take three young children, the youngest soon to be middle child sucking his thumb, and the oldest boy goofing off,) the stranger approached, his hat pulled low over his face and his jacket collar upturned. He neared his target, grabbed the little boys' wrist before turning and vanishing on the spot. The loud crack that sounded off the pavement made the entire flock of pigeons shoot into the sky, a yellow cab finally pulled up to the curb; Jacob began to cry loudly while his sister nearly toppled off Anatoly's shoulders.  
Anatoly spun around, clutching his niece and nephew close. "What happened? Where's the other ankle biter?" his dark eyes scanned the street and sidewalk, not seeing his second nephew anywhere. "Oliver!" he yelled, ignoring the impatient cab driver. "OLIVER!"_

Lian jerked out of her uncle's vivid memory, her face wet with tears she didn't remember shedding.

"Sweet'art?" Anatoly spoke, but it was as though from a great distance away. "What's wrong?"

 _Oh nothing. I just found out that every adult in my life has been lying to me for six years. No big deal._ Shaking, she dried her cheeks and got to her feet. "I'm...I just…" she could not convince her tongue to work. She could barely move out of the room. What was the proper reaction-what were you supposed to do when you found out that your twin brother wasn't resting in peace, but lost and forgotten?

The Christmas holidays had never looked darker to Lian.

* * *

She was lying in wait for her mother when she returned home. Jacob had finished off the eggnog last night when he mistook it for milk. Cereal doesn't get much thicker than that. The moment Amaya stomped through the door, shaking the snowflakes out of her hair, she approached cautiously, helping her mother slip out of her winter coat.

"Thank you sweet," Amaya sighed as she removed her scarf and hung it on the coat rack. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Why didn't you tell me about Oliver?" Lian asked bluntly. Amaya gazed at her, her mouth slightly agape.

"What did you say?" She whispered softly.

"I was always told that he died young. I can still remember him you know, even if you and dad tried your best to make us forget. But that's not the whole story, is it?" Lian was shivering but it wasn't from the cold. This was raw anger, and it didn't entirely belong to her either. When she was in a volatile and emotional state, she tended to draw similar feelings from those around her. Nothing was more terrifying or raw than a mother's emotions. "How long did it take for you and Dad to give up hope, huh? How do you know he's not still out there, like one of those kids on the milk cartons!?"

"Julianne, who in the world talked to you about-" Amaya paused, gazing into her eldest's eyes, and understanding dawned over her shock. "You pulled it from Anatoly, didn't you." She took Lian by her shoulders and pulled her into the sitting room, where Babcia and Dziadek were decorating the tree. "I will tell you everything you want to know about Oliver, but you have to promise not to shout. You know how it upsets Gramma."

Lian shot an impatient glare at the back of Babcia's head before sighing deeply and rearranging her facial expressions. She went from angsty kid to appalled pug, but her mother accepted it. "What happened to him?"

"If you looked into Ana's mind, you know that he was kidnapped by a wizard." Amaya ran a hand through her hair. "I was in labor for the next twelve hours, but once Anatoly had taken you and Jacob to Gramma's house, he went to MACUSA to report the incident, and then hit the streets himself. Your father and I weren't even told about it until a day after, and by then it was too late. The aurors didn't have a name, nobody had seen the abduction. The trace for underage magic had just barely been put on Oliver because that morning he displayed his first sign of magic-when the stranger picked you up, it was Oliver's magic that made the tree branch attack him."

"So the aurors were able to find him using the trace?" Lian asked doubtfully.

Her mother wore an expression beyond heartbreak, beyond sorrow. Lian found herself staring at and absorbing the emotions of a broken woman. She was thinking things that were beyond her eleven years, and she didn't know how to stop them. Her mother was a woman destined to raise three kids, knowing in her heart that she was meant to raise more. She was a woman who was afraid to have more children even though she dreamed of a big family as a child. She was a woman who was terrified of losing another child to a nameless phantom who could come and go without being caught.

"The trace tapered out the moment he was taken away from Anatoly. He wasn't taken anywhere, he just...disappeared. I can't tell you how many times I screamed at the head of the department missing and abduction cases to bring back my son…" She sniffed. "I'm not allowed down there anymore. Do I still yearn to have my baby boy back? Of course! But what was I supposed to do? Retreat into myself and neglect my family?" She placed her hand on Lian's cheek. "I'm sorry I never talked to you about him like this before. I wish I knew when I married your father that there was a chance I'd have a kid with natural Legilimency."

"Do you think Ollie would've had it too?" Lian asked softly, leaning into her mother, her body feeling completely drained of energy.

"I don't know." Amaya rested her cheek atop her daughter's head. "According to Gramma it usually shows up in the Goldstein women. . ."

And just like that, Lian let her mother off the hook. But secretly, silently, she vowed to never forget her brother. . .and that one day, she would find out the whole story of his disappearance.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Face

**Chapter 9**

 _The Face_

She'd only ever dreamed about her faceless wizard once before, and it had been a daydream then. When she was six years old, nearly a year after her encounter with a hidebehind, she saw a picture of her second cousins when they were in school at Pigpimples. It was then she realized that her faceless wizard had been British, and around school age. Since it was her only clue, it became her mission in life, her dream, her drive to go to Pigpimples and find out more.

Now, five years later, she was enrolled at what she believed to be the wrong school. And according to everyone she'd ever asked, her grades would need to reach Pluto in order for her to be acknowledged for a transfer. She forewent any social interaction-which was difficult because her House could be very interactive-and buckled down on her studies. She found herself bickering with Quince over the proper use of a freezing shield. (As first years, they'd spent the first few months practicing only defensive magic. They wouldn't learn dueling, sparring or knock-back spells until second year.)

"If you're already focusing to conjure the shield, why should you need to concentrate on the longevity also-" she heard herself saying one afternoon in the library. "-on some level, it's all relative."

The Wampus shook his head. "Not entirely. If you don't think about how long you want to protect yourself, then you'll deflect a single jinx and then be completely exposed."

"No I won't," Lian replied mulishly. "I'll duck."

Quince laughed at her. "I'd like to see that experiment go awry."

"Too bad I won't be around next year. Otherwise you'd be able to have a duel with me."

He raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "How's that? You planning on dropping out or something?"

Lian shook her head. "I'm going to Hogwarts next year. I'll beat the school records for first year exams, and then I'm transferring." The bell rang, signalling the end of their break. She packed up her books and made to leave.

"Transferring?" Quince repeated.

"Yep. Call it what you will; relocation, I'm headed in a different direction-but I'm applying just as soon as exams are done." She turned on her heel and left him sitting there, where he'd likely be late for his Wandlore class, meanwhile she planned on being early to Charms. She had a lot to catch up on.

* * *

The tension that spread through the castle just before exams were due to begin was palpable. It was not so much the calm before the storm as it was the sucker punch to the diaphragm. The intake of breath before you retaliate, the sound of thunder that foretold of lightning.

The eve of exams, something sparked. Lian had a question about Transfiguration that nobody in her house could answer, so she descended from the loft and was halfway to the Alchemy wing to ask Aunt May, when someone popped into the middle of the corridor, mid-sprint, and collided with her. They fell in a tangle, and Lian kicked the other away as she jumped to her feet.

Pulling her wand out, she pointed it at the guy as he got to his feet as well. He was about a foot taller than her, had dark hair and eyes like the edge of a blade. His hair was long and fell over and around most of his face in a way that both irked and intrigued Lian, despite the initial panic he'd incited within her. She couldn't take her eyes away from any detail in his face, the sharp angles and the cheekbones. It was very important that she memorize this face.

"Blimey," the spell she was under was broken in a single word- "you're a lot younger than I'd hoped. I must've come too soon." He looked around at the strange walls of the Alchemy wing, his eyebrows coming together in bewilderment. "Where are you?" He looked down his nose at her, eying her blue and cranberry robes skeptically. "What are those?" He then looked into her face. "About how old are you now?"

Lian's mind registered that she'd gone from curious to terrified in about zero seconds flat, and it did the one thing it knew how to do really well.

Her Legilimens first became manifest while at home, with people she knew and loved. The very next day she'd gotten lost in New York, and her new ability went into overdrive, because what wouldn't a child do to find their parents again? She'd read half of Brooklyn before she finally found her father. Since then, she'd been careful about going into parts of town that were unfamiliar to her-at least alone. She didn't quite know how to stop it once it happened, it was as if her mind had its own trigger.

Basically, if confronted with a new and unknown obstacle, Lian could rip through them mentally to ascertain whether or not it was a threat. The strange boy with his accusatory words, the way he looked at her as though he knew her, or wanted to, his haunting, ghostly eyes. . . Lian lashed out.

Normally, she would gather the needed information instantly, but something about his mind prevented her from tearing away the required information. Instead, she only gained a name: _Roman._

But then she felt something new. And if she was terrified before, she wanted to die then. He was speaking as he assessed her, whether actually knowing or guessing the information she did not know. "You're eleven years old, which means you're still at Ilvermorny. You haven't been to Hogwarts yet, but suddenly now more than ever you really want to be there. You just...you found out about Oliver." He paused, watching her face, glancing every so often at her wand arm, which which shook the more he talked. "Are you afraid of me? Then why don't you. . .you don't know an offensive spell. Not yet." Lian's fear and confusion was drowning her, she didn't know what to do-and then the tall boy in black robes knelt so that he was at eye level with her. This time when he spoke, it was a stark contrast to the cold, unsympathetic voice he'd used at first. Now it was soft, like he was shushing a baby. "I don't have a lot of time. You see this?" he held up a silver hourglass in his hand. The sand inside was bronze-colored, spiraling between the two sides evenly, as though gravity had no effect on it. "It's not working like it should. I'll be taken away in a minute, but if you haven't begun yet then you have to know. You have to go to Hogwarts as soon as you can. You'll find everything you want to know about Oliver there, and when it's the right time, you'll find-" There was a soft pop and the boy in the black robes disappeared.

Lian released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. For several moments her body didn't work, until finally some nerve reconnected, and she was running back through the castle.

 _What just happened? What just happened!? What just-_ "OOF!" she cried out.

"Where's the fire?" Matt's voice drifted from the warm body she'd just collided with. She jumped back, looking up into his eyes wonderingly. It felt like they hadn't spoken in ages-Thunderbird and Horned Serpent didn't have many classes together; their learning styles clashed with one another. He gripped her shoulders, holding eye contact. "What's wrong?"

"I just...and he...Ollie…" she mumbled helplessly. Matt regarded her carefully, trying to make sense of those five words.

"Who's Ollie?" Lian blinked, feeling her eyes grow wet with tears. _That's right. I met Matt and his family a year after Ollie disappeared. He never knew...that I had another brother._

She made a decision. Taking a shaky breath, she said, "Never mind." If the adults weren't going to try, what could a school boy do? And who was going to believe what she'd just seen? The boy that came out of and returned into thin air… He was her problem. Ollie was her problem. How could she try to explain the quest that had taken root in her soul? Just imagining it felt insane, and foolish.

She gave Matt a hug, telling him that she was just stressed out over their exams. He didn't seem convinced, but knew better than to push her, instead opting for walking her back to the Thunderbird Loft.

Once safely inside her dorm, she climbed into her bed and tried to dissect what the boy with silver eyes had told her. He made a point of showing her his broken hourglass, whatever that was. How had he known that she wanted to go to Hogwarts? What did he know about Oliver? And what was up with the way he spoke? _Where are you? What are those?_ Like he'd never seen Ilvermorny robes before. _About how old are you now?_ Now? Had they met before? She didn't recognize him. Silver eyes...she'd probably remember a boy with silver eyes. It's not like they were common in Manhattan.

So many questions...but she had exams in the morning! Transfiguration bright and early, followed by Charms. She had to survive the week first, and then she could ponder over Silver-Eyes and his strange...ness.

* * *

She hardly slept, having tossed and turned the entire night. Kristy, who occupied the bunk beneath Lian's, eventually tired of the rustling from above and kicked the mattress to communicate her displeasure. They glared at each other from across the stacked waffles one of the upper classmen had made.

Barely anyone talked before they descended to the rest of the school. Exams were taken oddly. The first, third and sixth years took exams at the same time, so there would be no opportunity for cheating off each other's papers, while the second and fourth took theirs together. The fifth years had OWLs, while the seventh years had the NEWTs, so it was all very tense and exhausting.

Lian was among the first to finish the Transfiguration exam, one of the last to finish Charms, and finished the Potions exam at a moderate pace. Kamau's self-transfiguration class had its own exam, as he was a new teacher with a new subject, everyone, no matter what year level, had to simply transfigure themselves in some way, to grant themselves new powers. Lian gave herself gills on accident-she'd been trying to give herself a merfolk tail, but she got full credit anyway, right after she began breathing normally again.

She did well in her History of Magic exam, even answering bonus questions about the Native American legends of Animagi (aka skinwalkers,) and Astronomy left her feeling drained. Knowledgeable but drained. Afterwards, Beck kept asking everyone what their zodiac sign was, for no particular reason other than she wanted a happy distraction in the middle of the week. Lian learned more about being a Gemini than she'd ever wanted to in one sitting.

By the time she crawled into Friday afternoon's exam for Defense Against the Dark Arts, she couldn't tell the difference between a fake wand and a self-inking quill. When her writing utensil turned into a _Big Mouth Billy Bass_ halfway through a sentence, Lian knew she was ready to be done.

* * *

Her suitcase was packed, the end of the year had come faster than anyone wanted, and exams finished whether they liked it or not. Many of the students decided the best place to be was in their common areas, celebrating the end of the year with their Housemates before the shuttles returned for them in the morning.

It was not so with Lian. Returning to the hustle and bustle of the city excited her, but at the same time she knew it would be harder to acquire peace with her mind so she decided to meditate one last time in the cave beneath the school before she was subject to a long summer at home. She had a lot to think about after all, and she needed a clear head.

Maybe her mother would finally let her take voice lessons, or maybe she could sign up with a dance studio like she used to when she was Seraphina's age. She'd have to keep busy somehow; a whole three months without her wand seemed much worse now than it had back in the autumn.

She sat cross-legged beside the edge of the glowing lake, shoulders relaxed and back straight like she had a string pulling her up to the roof of the cave. There was a soft pop beside her, and she glanced sideways, half expecting to see Kamau, who would join her on occasion. The body standing next to her was definitely not Kamau. They were garbed in black robes, and gave a strained grunt before falling sideways onto the cave floor as a pool of dark red spread beneath them.

Lian scrambled to the person's side, and gently rolled the sorcerer until she was lying on her back. At least, Lian thought it was a 'she'. The hair was roughly cut, and drenched in sweat and other liquids, likely.

Her eyes raked over the blood that coated the front of the school robes. They wore a black cloak that had been ripped to shreds, but the crest over the heart remained intact, though stained a dark red.

Lian looked into their eyes, which were gazing blankly at the stalacites high over their heads.

"You...who..?"

"You had to know...you had to see…" the sorcerer whispered. The emotions Lian was picking up from them were overwhelming, like a sandcastle trying to endure a tsunami, she wanted to collapse and melt away under their might. "...there's no...ing...y-you can d-do…"

"No, no you'll be fine. I just need to-hOlY shishkabob, that's a lot of blood. Okay, I just need to-uhm-uh-" she tore her sleeve off and pressed it into the gash stretching across their chest. "-I knew I should've been a Pukwudgie," she whined, her fright manifesting itself as tears. She knew nothing about healing spells. Her friend, Aisha had learned several already, but the Thunderbird first years had been taught other things like defense, direction and survival.

"F-fi...nd Th… not...Malf...a-and Ha...ree…" the sorcerer's breath was coming and going in soft puffs now. "Kee...p them s-s-sa…fe."

"Wait, wait I d-don't underst-and," Lian stuttered, and she felt her heart and face begin to cry. As panicked as she felt, her brain went into overdrive to compensate. To fix what was freaking her out. To find answers.

She dived into the mind of the sorcerer. She'd never been inside the memory of someone who was fading in and out of consciousness, but it was not something she would recommend to other Legilimens users, it was quite uncomfortable. One moment she was gazing into one memory and then it would be torn away only to be replaced by a new and completely random sight.

She saw a boy with dark hair and impossibly blue eyes staring back at her, a small smile playing on the corner of his mouth. She felt elated just looking at his face and she had no idea who he was. Then poof! he vanished and she was gazing at an angry looking boy with glasses and emerald green eyes. The distant words sounded from a voice that sounded suspiciously like hers, but slightly different. " _...if you think for one second that you're braver than I am then you need to check your ego at the door because you're no better than me."_ Then he was gone and she was watching a scene unlike anything she'd ever imagined. She was watching a wizard's duel from the floor, a woman with wild eyes versus a man with a large portrait of a swearing woman stuck to his rump. A flash of light struck the wizard across his side and he fell… The scene faded and she was gazing at a boy with long dark hair and sharp, silver eyes. He looked familiar, but she couldn't figure out why. Then he was gone and in his place was a boy with platinum hair, crying desperately. He kept saying over and over, " _I don't know! I can't do this anymore!"_ And then she looked upon a memory that was too familiar for comfort. An old wizard played with a young girl, who couldn't have been older than three or four years old. Her twin brother snoozed nearby while an occamy and a bowtruckle snuggled beside him. The old wizard feigned death and the little girl went into absolute hysterics. "Uncle Oot! Uncle Oot! I didn't hear your last wish!"

He peeked open one eye and looked down at her. "I beg your pardon?"

At that moment, another adult, a woman with long dark hair, walked into the room and scooped the little girl up into her arms. "Bath time for you, you little ankle biter."

"Mommy no!" The little girl screamed, startling her brother and the creatures awake. The three looked around wildly, expecting an attack from the fearless toddler.

"Please, Amaya dear, just another moment," Oot pleaded. Amaya went to argue, but heard the toddler break something expensive in the kitchen.

"Ooh! Alright hold her a moment!" She dropped her daughter into Oot's arms and charged into the other room, voicing her anger in Japanese.

"Now then," Newt said contentedly, gazing down at his great-niece. "What's all this about a 'last wish'?"

Sticking out her bottom lip, the little girl replied. "Mama says that when someone dies, the last thing they say is their last wish, and you have to do everything in your power to fulfill it."

Lian wrenched her mind out of the witches, staring in horror down at her. "How did you...what _are...why..?"_

" _Don't forget me…_ " herself warned, before vanishing into thin air.

 **-END OF PART ONE-**

* * *

 **A/N:** **I've said it before, this story began because I wanted to explain the history of my OC, Lian Kowalski. I'll probably write more as her story grows, but until then, this is it. If something doesn't make sense, just tell me and I'll try to fix it. In the meantime, I'll be focusing on** _There's an American in the Tower_ , **and the fourth installment:** _The Harbinger of Time._

 **Until then~!**


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